Abstract:
Lakes and reservoirs are vital for human health and aquatic life. In Ethiopia's Fincha sub basin, water demand is rising rapidly, affecting Fincha Lake. Uncontrolled water abstraction,
traditional watershed management practices, and land use changes may contribute to the Lake
water level fluctuations. This study analyzes the changes in water area of Fincha Lake from
1990 to 2022 using remote sensing data from the Landsat platform. The objective of this study
is to analyzed the spatiotemporal variations of Fincha Lake using geospatial techniques.
Spectral water indices like the Automatic Water Extraction Index (AWEI), Water Ratio Index
(WRI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), and Normalized Difference
Water Index (NDWI) were applied to analysis lake waterbodies and area variations of Fincha
lake. MNDWI and AWEI are the most effective, with MNDWI achieving 97.5% accuracy and
a kappa coefficient of 0.93, and AWEI achieving 95% accuracy and a kappa coefficient of 0.92,
respectively. Fincha Lake's surface area was measured in January of 1990, 2000, 2012, and
2022. In 1990, 182.13 km2 were observed; in 2000, 190.08 km2
; in 2012, 173.98 km2
; and in
2022, 197.25 km2
. The lake's surface size increased dramatically by around 7.95 km2
between
1990 and 2000. By 2012, though, it had decreased by about 16.1 km2
. The surface area
increased significantly by around 23.27 km2
in 2022. These measurements show that Fincha
Lake's surface area fluctuated throughout the duration of the observation period, showing
major increases in 2000 and 2022 as well as a notable decline in 2012. The study also examined
land cover changes around the lake. To preserve Fincha Lake's ecohydrology, integrated
watershed management and sustainable water resource management are essential. Satellite
and remote sensing data address significant gaps in data-poor locations like Fincha Lake,
supporting integrated water management and environmental conservation. This data
facilitates the development of plans and informs stakeholders in order to improve decision makin
