Seismic Shifts: Tremors Spark Government Action

Increasingly frequent tremors arising in the Ethiopian Rift Valley have finally drawn the attention of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission. A team of officials and experts, led by Commissioner Shiferaw Teklemariam, traveled to Awash Fentale and Dulessa, some 230 kilometers east of the capital, this week to see for themselves what has been the epicenter of seismic activity over the past few months.

Videos depicting damaged property and fractures along asphalt roads have been making the rounds on social media, including on posts from the Afar regional communications bureau. Officials are reportedly deliberating on ways to relocate the area’s residents to safety.

The tremors, which began in September 2024, have been occurring more and more frequently, with the residents of relatively far away places like Addis Ababa and Adama feeling them several time a week. Last month, the seismic activity looked to have peaked with a 5.0 magnitude quake. However, this week saw minor volcanic activity in the area, spewing fire, rocks and steam into the air in certain places.

Experts at Addis Ababa University’s Geophysics, Space Science and Astronomy Institute explain the tremors are a result of an ongoing tectonic detachment between the Nubian, Somalian, and Arabian plates.

This phenomenon, centered around Fentale, is creating magma flows in an area estimated to have a 30 kilometer radius, and covering the towns of Dofan, Awash Arba, Metehara, Sabure, and Fentale, as well as Lake Beseka.

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The tremors occur as the magma moves towards soft spots in the earth’s surface, where pressure is causing the ground to bulge by up to 33 centimeters in some places, according to experts.

For the past several weeks, the experts have been urging the government and all stakeholders to work together to relocate the communities in the area. They warn that a major volcanic eruption might take place. They also caution that it is difficult to predict when the activity will cease, or when such an eruption might take place, and say it can only happen once the magma has cooled.

Another fear, apart from the danger to local communities, is the threat the natural disaster might cause to Ethiopia’s international trade and economy, as the Ethio-Djibouti trade route passes through Metehara town.

Shiferaw stated the Commission is pooling efforts and mobilizing resources to relocate vulnerable populations. He called for the public to remain calm.