Ge'ez Bio

The Price of Beauty: How the Flower Industry Is Pumping Ethiopia’s Lakes Dry

Published: June 29, 2025

Beneath the delicate petals of the global flower trade lies a brutal environmental truth: Ethiopia’s lakes, lifelines to millions of people and ecosystems, are being pumped dry. Behind every bouquet exported abroad is an invisible cost measured not just in liters—but in livelihoods, ecosystems, and the sustainability of entire communities. What’s unfolding in Ethiopia is not just an ecological tragedy. It’s a cautionary tale of unchecked resource exploitation with global implications.

A Blooming Industry, A Withering Lake

Lake Ziway, located in Ethiopia’s ecologically rich Rift Valley, was once a pristine freshwater lake teeming with fish, sustaining traditional livelihoods, and hosting cultural ceremonies. Today, its shores are lined with pumps and greenhouses feeding the flower industry’s water-intensive operations.

Foreign flower companies—primarily from the Netherlands, UK, and India—have operated around the lake since the early 2000s. Sher Ethiopia PLC, the world’s largest single rose grower, controls 700 hectares near the lake and extracts a staggering 115,517 liters per day—enough to supply daily water for nearly 3,000 people in Addis Ababa.

The Disappearance of Lake Ziway: A Data-Backed Crisis

According to Wetlands International and hydrological modeling, Lake Ziway could disappear within 70 years at current extraction rates.

Lake Dembel’s depth has halved since 1990. Over 6,000 pumps operate 24/7 around Lake Ziway, leading to degradation from overpumping, pesticide runoff, and insufficient oversight.

The same water that could irrigate food crops or sustain ecosystems is instead diverted to ornamental exports, fueling a dangerous imbalance between economic interests and ecological survival.

Water Use: Disparity and Disregard

The average Ethiopian uses just 40 liters of water per day, often hauled over long distances. In contrast, a single flower company may consume more than entire villages combined.

And it’s not just depletion. Many flower farms discharge untreated agrochemicals into lakes, triggering fish die-offs and water hyacinth overgrowth—a classic sign of eutrophication. In response, Batu municipality recently ceased using Lake Ziway for drinking water, switching to costlier and less reliable alternatives.

Employment vs. Environment: A False Tradeoff

Though the flower industry creates jobs—especially for women—the narrative is incomplete. Most positions are low-wage, with workers exposed to toxic pesticides under minimal protection.

These jobs will not endure if the water runs out. Without intervention, entire communities and their means of survival will vanish along with the lakes they depend on.

A Cry for Intervention: What Must Be Done