The City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA) helps cities plan and implement actions to build resilient urban water systems. A critical first step in this process is understanding the local water system, and the factors that contribute to or detract from resilience.

This report details research undertaken in Addis Ababa with the goals to:

– Define the city water basin including natural basin(s), the urban water system and its governance structure, and the interdependencies with other systems

– Identify the factors contributing to the resilience of the city water system and those increasing its vulnerability.

In developing this characterisation report, the team collected desktop data on the biophysical characteristics of the basin and key actors in the water system.

The Addis Ababa city characterization report is part of the African Urban Water Resilience Initiative and supports pathways towards urban water resilience in post COVID-19 recovery. It is an important milestone part of the implementation of the Addis Ababa Resilience Strategy action 32 – Building of a Water Resilient City, and aims to assess the water basin and systems, key assets and governance through applying the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA).

Publication date: 19 May, 2021
Authors: Martin Shouler, Louise Ellis (Arup / The Resilience Shift), Katrin Bruebach (Resilient Cities Network), Smita Rawoot, World Resources Institute.