Roads, Railway Authorities Downplay Risks To Ethio-Djibouti Corridor Amid Earthquakes

Experts urge gov’t to consider alternative routes

Officials at the Ethiopian Roads Administration and representatives of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway (EDR) have brushed off warnings from experts at Addis Ababa University’s Institute of Geophysics, Space Science and Astronomy, who say the recent earthquakes pose a serious threat to the country’s most important trade route.

Professor Atalay Ayele, director of the Institute, urged the government to take precautions against the imminent threat posed to infrastructure along the Ethio-Djibouti trade corridor by seismic activity in the vicinity of Fentale and Dofen.

The Director told The Reporter in an interview this week that experts have been vocal about the threat for almost a decade.

“In our reports from 2015, we said [the seismic activity] was an alarm bell for Ethiopia. We urged the government to take the necessary precautions and preparations for earthquakes in this area. We also recommended it to find alternative routes for the Ethio-Djibouti trade route, which passes through the Fentale and Metehara area. This route is the backbone of Ethiopia’s international trade and economy. We warned the government to find an alternative route to Djibouti. The paper and report was published, but no government body considered the recommendations or undertook early preparations,” said Professor Atalay.

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However, officials at the Ethio-Djibouti Railway denied this.

“The institute did not forward such a recommendation to us and we do not have information about the research report,” said a representative of EDR, speaking anonymously. “There is no risk to the Ethio-Djibouti railway route.”

Yonas Tamiru (Eng.), a director at the Ethiopian Roads Administration, said The Reporter the Administration has conducted assessments on the route in the wake of increased seismic activity over the past few weeks.

“There is no major damage to the route, but there is some damage. We have identified bridges on the route and are undertaking re-enforcement work to strengthen them,” said Yonas.

Kessem Sugar Factory, a state-owned sugar estate located near the epicenter of the tremors in the Afar Regional State, is among the facilities that have sustained serious damage so far. Videos depicting destruction and debris in a building on the estate have been circulating on social media.

Kessem Dam, built to irrigate the estate’s sugarcane plantations, is located in Awash Fentale Woreda. Regional officials say the dam remains stable.

Officials of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission say they have begun relocating more than 51,000 people from dozens of kebeles in the Fentale and Dulecha woredas, among others, as the government finally responds to safety concerns in the region.

“The road leading to Kessem Sugar Factory was also damaged by the earthquakes. We are assessing what kind of maintenance the road requires,” said Yonas.