Spatial dynamics of Fincha reservoir and its socio-economic impact on the surrounding society, Horro Guduru Welega zone, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The benefit derived from the creation of man-made lakes in Ethiopia and other developing countries is usually associated with great risks. The fluctuation in areal extent of reservoir is one of the most common natural processes that affect socio-economic condition of the communities around the shorelines of the reservoir. This research has been conducted to assess the impact of fluctuation in areal extent of Ficha reservoir on the socioeconomic aspects of the surrounding community. The parameters are land use land cover, reservoir cover, socio-economic conditions in relation to fluctuations in areal extent of the reservoir. GIS softwares were used in this study to; classify and detect LULC of the study area using maximum likelihood and LULC change using pair matrix respectively and Delineate water surface area by digitizing and extract using raster clip tool through the use of single band (Band 7). House hold survey was undertaken to analysis socio-economic impacts. Results from fluctuation in areal extent analysis shows, a decrease in the areal extent of Ficha reservoir from 57.3 % in 1996 to 43.3 % in 2012 from the total area of the study area. From 1996 to 2012 grassland and agricultural land were increased. Besides from 2012 to 2016 the grassland and agricultural land decreased. The forest coverage increased from 1996 to 2012 and decreased from 2012 to 2016. On the contrary, areal extent of Ficha reservoir increased from 43.3 % in 2012 to 46 % in 2016. The settlement land cover increased from 1996 to 2012 by 0.06% and also increased from 2012 to 2016 by 0.04%. Generally, despite the significance of the Ficha reservoir, based on the household survey of selected representative samples it has been found that the fluctuation in areal extent of Ficha reservoir has an adverse impact on the socio-economic condition of the nearby community. Thus, an appropriate mitigation measures are necessary.