A Personal Memoir

By Getachew Belaineh

According to historians, in November 1886, while Menelik was away in a distant corner of the country, his wife, Taytu, decided to move the encampment from Entoto down onto the current site of Addis Ababa. Taytu left the Entoto mountain camp because of the unlikable cool temperature and was drawn to the site of Addis Ababa by the Fil Wiha hot springs. More important than the comfort of the Addis Ababa site was its potential for expansion. The Entoto site could only offer little room for development due to its rugged topography. Because of Menelik’s vision and Taytu’s farsightedness and the decision she made more 120 years ago, Addis Ababa is now developing and expanding offering the city a new look and personality.

I returned from Addis after a short visit in February 2008, which gave me the opportunity to observe a great contrast that extends from the booming of attractive modern buildings and upgrade of the road systems to the alarmingly deteriorating environmental conditions of the city. In what follows, I will try to recount from my perspective the highlights of both the ameliorating and deteriorating aspects of the city, and few comments about the city administration.

Development

One does not have to spend a long time in Addis Ababa to realize how much the city is changing in terms of roads and new buildings. In the blink of an eye almost, a new construction site emerges somewhere in the city. Private investors and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) are in rush-mood to grab every available piece of land for building modern buildings. The government is solely busy upgrading the major roads using loans secured from international banks and organizations. Speaking of loans, according to the World Bank, Ethiopia has earmarked nearly $1.0 billion of which $0.6 billion is loan from World Bank in the last 15 years for road maintenance and upgrading. The fundamental question is: Is the loan real national economic driven or is it the result of an economic-hit-man shackling the country in debt for generations to come? The answer to this question is not within the scope of this article.

Let’s look at the road upgrading activities in Addis Ababa. By the way, the road upgrading is not limited to the city. There are also major activities outside of Addis. In Addis Ababa, the most notable road upgrades are Tele Medhane Alem-ST. Ourael road, Adwa Ring Road Square-Adwa Bridge Road, Gotera Interchange Roads, and the expansion of the road connecting Arat Killo and Yeka Michael and the multi-Lane Ring Road. The Ring Road, which is approximately 75% complete, is intended to connect all five main gates (Debre Birhan, Debre Zeit, Sebetta, Ambo, and Sululta) in and out of Addis. Heavy trucks entering the city from the five main radial routes will be diverted to bypass Addis Ababa completely or to transfer to another radial route to suit the eventual destination and in doing so avoid the city’s center. The Gotera Interchange Road is expected to ease the overwhelming traffic congestion at the intersection.

With respect to buildings, investors are not wasting any time to fill every available unoccupied space in some sections of the city. Specially, neighborhoods locally known as Bole, Asmera Menged, Aware, Qera, Cherqos, Kazanchis, Lideta, Seratgena Sefer, Iri Bekentu, Qebena, Gola Sefer, etc. have simply run out of land. Even the relatively new neighborhoods such as Gurd Shola, Gerji, and Alem Tena are filling up swiftly. Most of the new high-rise buildings are clustered in the central, eastern, and southeastern sections of the city. The north and west sides of the city, locally known as the Gulele and Shiromeda areas, respectively, are relatively quiescent. For the obvious reason, the most intense areas are around Asmera Menged, Old Airport area, Bole road, and Kazanchis. One of the most extraordinary buildings in town is the Medhane Alem (Savior of the World) Cathedral, locally known as Tele Medhane Alem, situated near Bole International Airport. To mention some of the other most notable buildings: A five-star hotel which is under construction on Bole Road near Meskel Square, a shiny tall building near Ghion Hotel, which is owned by Sheik Al-Amoudi, is nearing completion. If you are familiar with the Kazanchis area, you might as well be familiar with those once popular nightspots known as Six-Doors and Three-Doors where many people used to hang out. However, these bars are now gone in order to create space for many architecturally astounding buildings, including a beautiful high-rise building with a curved glass roof owned by GTZ. Behind the GTZ building, another high rise, nearing completion, for the UNICEF headquarters. Somewhere in that neighborhood is the skeleton of an Irish-funded four-star hotel.

The government is also busy building condominiums (condo) and selling them to people to ease the prevailing housing problem. However, some people complain about the incompleteness of the condos at the time of purchase. Most , if not all condos, have only roofs and walls and are uninhabitable at the time they are sold to the people. They have no toilets, no kitchens, and floors are unfinished. In some cases, even doors and windows are not installed. The buyers have to install doors and windows and complete the interiors. This should not be a major problem, as the situation will allow the buyers to finish the interior according to their own preferences and needs. Some also complain about the inconveniences associated with traditional lifestyle, such as the coffee and sheep and chicken ceremony during holidays. This should not be a problem either, because the aim is to transform Addis Ababa into a modern city with time and the dwellers’ lifestyles should change accordingly.

However, there are some series concerns involving structural quality inspection and safety of septic tanks and sewerage system. It is unknown whether the buildings have gone through the proper quality control procedures to assure compliance with basic requirements of the country’s building code standards, including the ability to withstand high winds and earthquakes, etc. Septic tanks and shallowly buried sewerage pipes are causing series health concerns. Water supply is another problem with high-rise condos. The city water supply cannot reach higher than 3rd floors. By the way, all these problems are valid for all other buildings too.

The government’s effort to construct modern housings and making them available to the people at affordable price is commendable, but those responsible ought to do everything to ensure the condos are structurally and sanitationally safe.

Public Services

World class buildings booming, multi-lane roads flourishing, expenditures for keeping the city reasonably clean, and manage the overwhelmingly traffic congestion could not keep up with the enormous growth of the city. This disparity creates concerns ranging from some level of short-term uneasiness to long-term health vulnerability and life threatening conditions on the inhabitants.

Basic Infrastructures: The city lies at the base of a chain of mountains — the Entoto and Yeka Mountains. The intense rainfall during the rainy season produces a very high sediment-loaded runoff from these mountains. As a result of the incompatibility of the drainage system and increased urbanization, the city suffers from serious flooding when most of the sediment-loaded runoff settles in the low-lying parts of the city. Many of the curb openings are clogged with debris and sediment and some are even closed by new asphalt pavements. After the pooling water evaporates or slowly filters out through the clogged culverts, the dry sediment stays behind, covering the streets and polluting the environment with dirt. Sometimes, it is even hard to tell if a street is asphalt or dirt paved. The flooding and sedimentation problem is not only life threatening, it also shortens the structural life of the road, it also adversely affects health by harming the eyes and respiratory system. The most hazardous situation is when waste water enters the storm runoff or flood and then polluting the streams in the city causing severe downstream environmental degradation.

The city’s sewage disposal facility which serves only a very small neighborhood was installed some 50 or 60 years ago, and the developments achieved since then are insignificant. According to Atlas-Africa (2003), Addis Ababa is the largest capital city in the world that does not have a central sewerage system. Most of the inhabitants use on-site sanitation systems which includes septic tanks and various types of dry-pit latrines that are not well maintained. A general survey indicates a great many use dry-pit latrines, few use septic tanks, and considerable number of people do not have access to any sanitation facilities.

Solid waste disposal is another health hazard in the city. According to an estimate by Addis Ababa University, about 35-40 per cent of the solid waste generated is dumped on any available unoccupied ground and left uncollected for several weeks or even months. It is common to see mountains of garbage blocking sidewalks and streets. No wonder, Forbes magazine recently ranked Addis Ababa as the world’s sixth dirtiest city.

I do not want to sound ridiculous by trying to suggest what the city engineers should do to solve these problems. I am confident they (city engineers), with some consulting assistance, have the knowhow and the skill to design and implement systems that can alleviate the problems. The engineers know watershed management scheme is important to reduce sediment load and flooding. They know retrofitting of flood attenuation ponds and stormwater runoff drainage systems are essential to reduce sedimentation and water pooling on the roads. They know the city has to secure locations to be construction-free to aid flood abatement. They know sanitary sewer overflowing into storm sewer system can pollute sources of water for drinking, bathing, and gardening. They know the city needs more extensive network of sewerage system. They also know that it is an impossible task for the municipality to provide effective solid waste collection and disposal services for the entire city and the role of private sector should be taken into account. What the engineers probably do not know is how to tackle these problems without adequate resources. It takes a consciousness of the government to recognize the existing conditions as a series problem to invest and improve the situation.

Historical Sites and Buildings: Buildings and sites of historical significance are endangered. Over the past century, the city has accumulated different architectural identities varying from traces of Greek, Indian, and Armenian to the Italian occupation era. Naturally, this architecture reflects the background of the city as well as the country at large. Among the most significant historical heritages are: the unique timber buildings in Piassa area; a 5-story stucco building from the Italian occupation era(the Electricity House) in Piassa, Taitu Hotel (Ethiopia’s first hotel, which was built by Emperor Menelik), Arada Post Office, Hunengaw Mera shopping plaza in Mercato, Ras Biru W/Gabriel’s House near Mesqel Square, the former Ras’ house now used as Menelik Elementary School, and Jan Meda race ground. These antique buildings have great historical significance and need to be protected and maintained. Upgrading roads and building new modern buildings by destroying these buildings and historical sites is an irreversible mistake and the government ought to preserve them.

Existing Government Buildings: Existing government buildings are on the verge of collapse due to lack of maintenance. For instance, the magnificent landmark municipality building, apartment buildings, hotel buildings (Ethiopia Hotel, Wabishebele Hotel, and Lalibela Hotel near the stadium, etc.) are standing on their last legs. The question that comes to anyone’s mind is: What is the government doing with these buildings, especially those revenue-generating ones? It appears the government is only collecting the revenue until the buildings collapse.

City Administration

As depicted above, population is exploding, buildings and roads are booming, and international activities are growing in the city. The big question: Are the stakeholders, namely the Federal and City Governments capable of handling the growth? I do not know the answer to this question, but let me share my experience in one of the sub-city offices. Hierarchically, the mayor’s office is at the top of the city government. Under the mayor’s office are 10 Sub City Councils (a.k.a. Kifle Ketemas), and under the Sub City Councils are 103 Kebeles (the lowest level in the hierarchy). One of the tasks Kifle Ketemas are charged with is issuing permits for new construction or changes property owners wish to make on or to their properties. The idea is that the Kifle Ketemas or Kebeles, depending upon the type and nature of the change on or to the property, will ensure that the changes are consistent with the neighborhood, community, and the city’s master plan, in addition to protecting the interests of the property owners and all other affected parties.

Is there a defined guideline for the Kifle Ketemas and their employees to carry out their duties? Do employees have the required skill and integrity to do the job? Is there consistent permit or any application evaluation criteria? According to my casual observations in the Yeka Kifle Ketema, the answer is no, no, and no. Yeka Kifile Ketem is one of the top three most populous Kifile Ketemas with eleven Kebeles under its jurisdiction. Gulele Kifle Ketema is the most populous with 334,000 people. The office of Yeka Kifile Ketem is located on the side of Asmera Road near the Ministry of Water Resources. The workforce size of this office seems reasonable, but violation of office hours—either late arrival and/or early departure—is common and no one seems to be overseeing this.

The application and review processes in this office are in complete disarray. In the absence of any standard guidelines, each applicant is at the mercy of the employee handling the case. Each employee fabricates any criterion to deny or grant the requested permit depending upon the willingness of the applicant to fulfill the employ’s personal “need”. Appealing to a higher authority or superior is not an option because it will not do any good except further complicating the already complicated matter. Superiors, section heads, or even the top person in the office has neither the courage nor the skill to interfere and give direction to their subordinates to resolve the appeal. The other interesting situation is, if an employee is on leave of absence for an extended period, there is no one to fill the void, not even his or her immediate superior. In an event like this, applicants have no choice other than to wait until the employee returns to the office. According to my casual observations, deficiency of the required skill for the position, lack of work discipline, sloppiness, and dishonesty are common on some employees.

The city administration is expected to serve at a highly visible capacity to provide civilized and well-mannered public services. Posting functions and vision on a website is not enough. It is imperative that the City Administration live up to its standard in order to maintain Addis Ababa’s inherited continental capital standing. Remember, in addition to an estimated 4 million inhabitants, Addis Ababa is the house of the African Union, Economic Commission for Africa, and many other international organizations.
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The author can be reached at [email protected]