Nature Based Solutions for Wastewater Treatment

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Green plants with orange flowers showing the wetland

Wastewater management poses a significant global challenge, with the UN reporting that over 80% of generated wastewater is currently discharged into the environment untreated. This has serious health and environmental implications and is a particularly acute challenge in (peri-) urban African towns experiencing rapid population growth. Outdated and under-capacity wastewater infrastructure struggles to cope with the escalating volumes, exacerbating the problem.

Conventional (centralised, off-site) wastewater treatment systems, despite being the default choice, are expensive, complex to manage, and unfavourable for the climate. Conversely, decentralised nature-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands, are low-cost, easier to maintain and suitable for warm climate regions like Africa.

At the heart of this project is a tried and tested decentralised solution to treating community wastewater on site: constructed wetlands. This technology serves as a foundational element designed to address wastewater challenges sustainable and inclusively.

A solution which has been successfully implemented in two Ethiopian cities, Adama and Shashemene, and is continuing to be scaled across the country.

Our goals

Driving forward SDG 6 ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Through developing and introducing wastewater management systems we aim to:

Improve water quality and community health by reducing pollution

Effective management of wastewater ensures it does not leak into the environment untreated, and instead is safely reused.

Professionalise and capacitate local stakeholders

By sharing knowledge and training key stakeholders, for example, water utilities and municipalities, we ensure systems are manageable and sustainable.

Scale the approach through increased awareness raising

To ensure the solution gains a central place within urban and sanitation planning it is essential to showcase the solution in practice and hear from local communities who have been impacted.

How are we driving forward nature-based solutions in Ethiopia?

To realise these goals, WASTE is partnering with like-minded organisations, Ecofyt, World Waternet and BBBC, and utilising its proven multi-stakeholder approach to connect all actors.

Phase 1: Piloting

As one of the fastest growing countries in the world Ethiopia is rapidly urbanising putting pressures on its already strained waste management and sanitation systems. In 2020 only 7% of the population had access to safe sanitation, leading to issues such as overflowing septic tanks polluting the environment. In response to this, through the WASH SDG programme, WASTE developed and implemented two constructed wetlands for condominium household wastewater treatment in Adama and Shashemene in 2022. These were designed as a pilot to establish if constructed wetlands are an effective wastewater technology to solve the urban wastewater issues in condominium areas.

Phase 2: Upscaling

Building on the success of the pilot and enthusiasm of local stakeholders in Adama and Shashemene, such as the ministry of water and energy and water utilities, the project has now shifted to upscaling sustainably. This includes:

Capacity building of local actors all the way from initial planning and construction of constructed wetlands to ensuring financial stability
Constructing more model constructed wetlands in institutions and residential areas in other cities
Establishing a training centre in an Ethiopian university to research and showcase different techniques that will help develop the solution in the Ethiopian context specifically and monitor the functioning of the wetlands.

Wetlands being shown to group from community

"There are many places in Ethiopia that have similar problems, and such interventions greatly help. It has so many benefits and the place looks beautiful.” Fikerte, constructed wetlands community member who has been living in Shashemene for nine years.

Sustainability

Climate change poses significant challenges to water and sanitation services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Ethiopia, where extreme weather events degrade water resources and sanitation infrastructure. Declining rainfall reduces groundwater recharge, while poor wastewater management worsens water quality and exacerbates shortages, leading to limited sanitation practices. Constructed wetlands, as nature-based solutions, offer a sustainable approach to address these challenges by mimicking natural processes to treat wastewater, protect water resources, and enhance ecosystem health. Wetlands not only remove pollutants and capture CO₂ but also cool local microclimates and provide urban sanitation solutions. Practicing inclusive management models ensure communities participate in planning, construction, and maintenance, fostering resilience and adaptation to climate change.

Working together with the following partners: