Rainfall variability and its influence on surface flow regimes examples from the central highlands of Ethiopia

The article shows results of an international and interdisciplinary project with the title ‘Rainfall and its Erosivity in Ethiopia’. Rainfall variability affects the water resource management of Ethiopia. The influence of rainfall variability on flow regimes was investigated using five gauging stations with data availability from 1982–1997. It was confirmed that the variability in rainfall has a direct implication for surface runoff. Surface runoff declined at most of the gauging stations investigated. Therefore, effective water resource management is recommended for the study area. Future research should focus on watershed management which includes land-use and land cover. The question posed here is whether the variability in rainfall significantly affected surface flow in the study area.