Land Tenure and Water Rights in the Blue Nile Basin

Abstract

Land tenure system in the Blue Nile basin will continue to have impact on land and water resource management. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at the outlet of the basin will be impacted in both sediment load and basin water yield. Land is the base of political, economic, social and religious life of the Ethiopian people whether the environment is agrarian, pastoral or urban. The Ethiopian government reserves ownership of land and associated resources and administers allocation and right to use through federal and local administrative agencies. Likewise, water allocation and the right to use are not constitutionally defined but fall under other resources which are controlled by the state. Accordingly, political power and wealth in Ethiopia has been strongly tied to access and control of land. In the Blue Nile Basin, private and communal land tenure structure prevail with land ownership rights reserved for the regional and federal political powers. Lack of full ownership and responsibility of these resources has been linked to low productivity, resource degradation such as deforestation, soil and water loss. Land and water right in the basin is an important factor influencing the use of these resources by the basin dwellers. Repossessing of land through rezoning and investment justification and transferring titles make land a quick profit resource subject to growing corruption. There is no incentive for aggressive soil and water conservation watershed management.