Oromia/Ethiopia: The Case of Lake Koka

The following research paper was authored by Kulani Jalata, Princeton University. The appalling pollution of Lake Koka by effluents from nearby tanneries and flower farms, and the subsequent deadly health impacts on residents was broadcast two years ago by Al Jazeera TV in February 2009. The government of Mr. Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia has defended its dismal environmental records in Koka, Oromia, at that time, and it has continued its policy of environmental destruction.

The Case of Lake Koka:

Unraveling the Political and Economic Relevance of an Environmental Crisis and Why Already Established Environmental Policy Has Failed

Kulani Jalata*
Princeton University

“Makida, Kadir, Tahir, Saltan, Kasim, Kalil … I gave birth to nine children. Six of them died; three survived. My husband also died. I have lost seven members of my family. They were all vomiting and had diarrhea with blood in it. We visited a health center and were told that the problem was associated with water. I feel sad about my dead children. I lie awake at night thinking of them. I now worry whether my remaining children will survive. I don’t even know if I will survive. Except for God, we have no hope,” (Al Jazeera 2009).

Introduction:
In a documentary by Al Jazeera’s “People & Power” program, Amina, an Oromo (the largest ethnonational group within the Ethiopian Empire) woman living within the rural Ammudde district of Oromia, Ethiopia, tearfully named her six dead children as she sat outside her mud hut and held on to her remaining young children. Referring to the “water” that Amina connects to the death of her husband and children, another Ammudde resident named Kadir whose wife had recently died said the following: “My wife was told she had a problem with her liver. We were told that the problem arose from the drinking water. We are all internally sick. It is better to die thirsty than to drink this water,” (Al Jazeera 2009). What Amina and Kadir are referring to is a health and environmental crisis that thousands of people within Ammudde are suffering from: the toxic, polluted waters of Lake Koka.
– Read the Full Paper (MS Word document)
* Kulani Jalata serves as the Public Relations Officer of the International Oromo Youth Association (IOYA).