Mizane Birhan
Mizane Birhan | |
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Mizane Birhan is a tabia or municipality in the
Geography
The tabia is astride the Imba Dogu’a ridge, between valleys of Rubaksa and Ruba Bich’i Rivers. The highest peak is Imba Dogu’a (2620 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place at east is along Ruba Bich’i (1960 m a.s.l.) and at west 2020 m, down from Addi Welo.
Geology
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[1]
- Mekelle batholitethat dominates Mizane Birhan
- Upper basalt
- Interbedded lacustrine deposits
- Lower basalt
- Amba Aradam Formation
- Agula Shale[3]
- Antalo Limestone: a large quarry south of Ma’idi
- Quaternary alluvium and freshwater tufa[4]
Geomorphology and soils
The main
- Dominant soil type: stony, dark cracking clays with good natural fertility (Vertic Cambisol)
- Associated soil types
- Inclusions
Climate and hydrology
Climate and meteorology
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Ma’idi is 19.8 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 11.1 °C and maximum of 28 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.[6]
Rivers
The Giba River is the most important river in the surroundings of the tabia. It flows towards Tekezze River and further on to the Nile.[7] The drainage network of the tabia is organised as follows:[8]
- Giba River, with tributaries:
- Ruba Bich’i River, in tabia Addi Azmera
- Imba Wahti River, draining the eastern part of Mizane Birhan
- Rubaksa River, in tabia Mika'el Abiy
- May Wikul River, in Mizane Birhan
- Tsigaba River, draining the northern part of Mizane Birhan
- Ruba Bich’i River, in tabia Addi Azmera
Whereas they are (nearly) dry during most of the year, during the main rainy season, these rivers carry high runoff discharges, sometimes in the form of flash floods. Especially at the beginning of the rainy season, they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil erosion rates.
Springs
As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the tabia are:[9]
- Gedel Negedu in Lafa
- May Wkul in Ma’idi
- Gemgema in Merhib
Water harvesting
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season.
- Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called rahaya
- Horoyo, household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns[10]
Vegetation and exclosures
The tabia holds several
Settlements
The tabia centre Ma’idi holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops.[9] There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The main other populated places are:[8]
- Merhib
- Addi Welo
- Lafa
- May Shewani
- Neged Negedu
Agriculture and livelihood
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by
History and culture
History
The history of the tabia is strongly confounded with the
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:
- Lafa Gebri’el
- Neged Negedu Mika’el
- Ma’idi
- Addi Welo Teklehaimanot
- Merhib Mika’el
Inda Siwa, the local beer houses
In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, where people socialise. Well known in the tabia are[9]
- Roman Gebreayezgi at Ma’idi
- Nigas Dimtsu at Ma’idi
- Haymanot Gidey at Ma’idi
Roads and communication
The main road Mekelle – Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi runs 8 km north of the tabia. There is a good dirt road across the tabia with regular bus services to the main asphalt road and directly to Mekelle or Hagere Selam these towns.
Tourism
Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle make the tabia fit for tourism.[25] As compared to many other mountain areas in Ethiopia the villages are quite accessible, and during walks visitors may be invited for coffee, lunch or even for an overnight stay in a rural homestead.[26]
Touristic attraction
The
Geotouristic sites
The large batholite made of dolerite, the high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".[28]
Birdwatching
Trekking routes
Trekking routes have been established in this tabia.[27] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[30]
- Trek 13, from Ma’idi towards Hagere Selam, largely through limestone landscapes
- Trek 17, from Togogwaalong Lafa and the eastern slopes of Imba Dogu’a towards Merhib
See also
- Dogu'a Tembiendistrict.
References
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ Tefera, M.; Chernet, T.; Haro, W. Geological Map of Ethiopia (1:2,000,000). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Institute of Geological Survey.
- ^ Bosellini, A.; Russo, A.; Fantozzi, P.; Assefa, G.; Tadesse, S. (1997). "The Mesozoic succession of the Mekelle Outlier (Tigrai Province, Ethiopia)". Mem. Sci. Geol. 49: 95–116.
- .
- PMID 31639144.
- S2CID 199105560.
- S2CID 199099067.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ a b c What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya]. Hagere Selam, Ethiopia. 2016. p. 100.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Developers and farmers intertwining interventions: the case of rainwater harvesting and food-for-work in Degua Temben, Tigray, Ethiopia
- .
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ Mastewal Yami, and colleagues (2007). "Impact of Area Enclosures on Density and Diversity of Large Wild Mammals: The Case of May Ba'ati, Douga Tembien Woreda, Central Tigray, Ethiopia". East African Journal of Sciences. 1: 1–14.
- S2CID 37489450.
- .
- .
- ^ Bedru Babulo, and colleagues (2006). "Economic valuation methods of forest rehabilitation in exclosures". Journal of the Drylands. 1: 165–170.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website
- ^ EthioTrees on Davines website
- ^ De Deyn, Jonathan (2019). Benefits of reforestation on Carbon storage and water infiltration in the context of climate mitigation in North Ethiopia. Master thesis, Ghent University, Belgium.
- S2CID 128492271.
- S2CID 95207289.
- S2CID 199294303.
- S2CID 199198251.
- ^ S2CID 199294303.
- S2CID 199095921.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ "Public GPS traces tagged with nyssen-jacob-frankl". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2019-10-11.