| Germama River | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 9°06′37″N 39°11′49″E / 9.1104°N 39.1969°E |
| • elevation | 1,989 m (6,526 ft) |
| Mouth | Awash River |
• coordinates | 9°13′22″N 40°08′38″E / 9.2229°N 40.144°E |
The Germama (or Kesem or Kessem) River, is a tributary of the Awash River in Ethiopia. The name Germama comes from the Amharic word which means "frolicking", "boisterous", or "frisky".[1]
The Germama is not a navigable stream, and flows with a great volume during the rainy season. It rises west of Kese Koremash, flowing east to the Awash, its course delineating a few kilometers of the northern boundary of the Awash National Park. The Kessem River passes an altitude drop from more than 2,000 m on a flow length of ca.130 km.[2] The steep gradient of the river profile is the reason for its turbulent flow regime, which is also reflected in its name. The lowlands of the upper Germama was the location of the former Shewan district of Bulga;[3] the lower course defines the northern boundary of the Shewan district of Menjar.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources began construction of a dam on the Germama in 2005, which would help irrigate areas along both sides of the river, and in the Dofen and Kebena Mountains.[4] In December 2008, a spokesman for the Ministry announced that the project was 98% complete.[5]
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia, Gena-Gerwane" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 22 April 2022)
- ^ Knoche, Malte; Fischer, Christian; Pohl, Eric; Krause, Peter; Merz, Ralf (2014). "Combined uncertainty of hydrological model complexity and satellite-based forcing data evaluated in two data-scarce semi-arid catchments in Ethiopia". Journal of Hydrology. 519: 2049–2066. Bibcode:2014JHyd..519.2049K. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.003.
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia, Bua-Buotaro"(pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 22 April 2022)
- ^ "Kesem Tendaho Narrated Report", Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources website, published 19 June 2007 (accessed 14 July 2009)
- ^ "5b Brr. Kesem, Tendaho projects nearing completion: Ministry"[permanent dead link], Ethiopian News Agency (accessed 29 April 2009)