Urban flooding is emerging as one of the most pressing environmental and developmental challenges facing Ethiopian cities today. Recent footage from flash floods that submerged roads, overturned vehicles, and destroyed property paints a stark picture of the growing crisis. These incidents are no longer rare worldwide. They are becoming regular occurrences, signaling a deeper and more systemic issue.

The increasing intensity and frequency of urban floods are closely tied to rapid urbanization, unregulated construction, and environmental degradation. As cities expand, natural landscapes are replaced with impervious surfaces such as roads, rooftops, and pavements that prevent water from seeping into the ground. Trees are cut down to make space for buildings, reducing canopy interception, slowing infiltration, and accelerating surface runoff. The result is a dramatic decrease in the time it takes for rainfall to become a floodwater phenomenon known in hydrology as reduced time of concentration.

In many urban centers, the drainage infrastructure is either insufficient, outdated, or altogether absent. Water that once absorbed slowly into soil or was filtered by vegetation now rushes rapidly over concrete surfaces, overwhelming storm drains and flooding roads and homes. Combined with increasingly erratic and intense rainfall linked to climate change, the conditions for frequent and severe urban flooding are firmly in place.

But while the challenge is formidable, the solutions are within reach. Urban flood prevention must begin with a commitment to reintroduce nature into the city. One foundational step is to require all new building developments to dedicate a portion—such as 20 to 30 percent—of their plot to green space. This ensures that at least some rainfall can be absorbed naturally, reducing the volume of runoff entering the drainage system. Parking lots and large paved surfaces can be designed to include small circular depressions that allow rainwater to pool and infiltrate rather than flow away. This principle of low-impact development is already practiced in many parts of the world and could be adapted to the Ethiopian context.

Incorporating green roofs—layers of vegetation installed on rooftops—offers another powerful tool for flood management. These systems retain a portion of rainwater during storms, slowing its release and thereby reducing runoff. In addition, they provide insulation benefits, help regulate urban temperatures, and improve air quality. Urban tree planting and vegetation corridors across cities like Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, and Hawassa would further improve interception and infiltration, particularly in areas prone to flash floods.

A particularly promising initiative already underway is the “My Dam in My Yard” project led by the Ministry of Water and Energy. This approach encourages individual households to collect and store rainwater on-site using tanks, ponds, or underground cisterns. The benefits are twofold: it reduces pressure on urban stormwater systems while providing an alternative source of water for irrigation, cleaning, or even domestic use with proper treatment. Encouragingly, this model could be scaled nationwide with relatively low cost and strong community buy-in.

Beyond household measures, city authorities need to develop comprehensive stormwater drainage master plans. These should be based on modern hydrological modeling that takes into account current and projected rainfall patterns. Crucially, any new development should be guided by watershed-based zoning that respects natural drainage paths and floodplains. Construction in flood-prone areas must be restricted, and existing drainage channels must be protected from encroachment and regularly maintained to remove silt and solid waste.

Public awareness campaigns also have a key role to play. Communities must be engaged in understanding the risks of flooding and the simple actions they can take to mitigate it—from not blocking drains with waste, to planting trees, to harvesting rainwater. Local governments can support these efforts with incentives for green infrastructure, such as tax rebates for those who install infiltration pits or green roofs.

Moreover, early warning systems and real-time flood alerts must become standard tools in urban management. With mobile penetration across Ethiopia on the rise, SMS or app-based alerts could warn residents of impending storms, giving them time to prepare and take precautions.

The path forward is clear. To build flood-resilient cities, Ethiopia must blend modern infrastructure planning with age-old environmental wisdom. The idea that every home and building is part of the water cycle—not separate from it—must be central to urban design. In doing so, we not only reduce the risk of devastating floods but also build cleaner, greener, and more livable cities for generations to come.

Sisay T. Alemayehu is a water engineer by profession.

Contributed by Sisay T. Alemayehu (Eng.)