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The new roads and bridges
are nearing completion. So we are told and so we see. The complex overpass at
Gotera Intersection Square, in particular, is indeed a spectacular engineering
endeavour that has changed the face of the capital in that area. Be that as it
may, the completion of high rising buildings and the asphalt paving of exterior
sites and parking lots may reshape the cosmetic profile of the capital.
In the light of the rapidly
changing landscape of the city, any casual visitor may get lost in the middle of
nowhere not knowing where to go, especially in some areas where significant
changes are taking place almost by the day. Take, for example, the Bole
Medhaniyalem (Holy Saviour) Church area near the international airport, or the
part of the city behind the UNECA edifice. A complete transformation of
construction works and eye-catching paints are manifestations of such changes.
Nevertheless, the grand
structures, particularly the bridges and the 40m wide roads, fabulous as they
are, seem to want a lot, considering the conspicuous absence or the lack of even
green grass or hedges, not to mention of flowers or ornamental trees that are
meant to complement the hard structures. They are not environment friendly, to
use the cliché of the day.
You may ask where does one
get the seedlings for such?
I will tell you where.
Drive down by the stadium
to the railway crossing and pull over at an open market site where you can buy
as many different seedlings as you wish. Just ask for a young lad called Malde.
You will not miss him.
Malde Birhanu is a 22-year
old high school dropout from Godjam (judging by his accent), who runs the
roadside nursery jointly with others. The nursery is conveniently located
opposite St. Joseph Secondary School. If you are thinking about the nurseries or
green seedling stalls at Megenagna or Afincho-Ber, forget them. The hadid stall
is colossal by their standards.
When you get to that place,
you will soon discover that the place is easily identifiable. First and
foremost, you will see hundreds of flower vases and containers of different
sizes and makes, some earthen and others made of clay soil, while still others
are made of plastic material. All of them have deliberately perforated bottoms
made for ventilation and drainage. The prices of these vases vary from 10 Br to
40 Br according to their sizes and the materials they are made of. The green
plants also cost you more or less the same depending on their type. You cannot
expect to get a well-grown apple seedling for less than 100 Br.
The plants are well placed
in rows according to the types of the seedlings and their height. The line in
the forefront displays indoor flowers, while ornamental tree seedlings are set a
line behind smaller flowers. Deep into the back area of the stall, you have a
massive plastic tent serving as a greenhouse. That is where the owners keep and
nurse tender seedlings that cannot withstand the weather, particularly the
scorching heat of the sun.
The site's total area does
not exceed 2,000Sqm. This plot of land has dual services. One end of it serves
as a dumping place where half a dozen huge dust bins overflow with trash. On
the other end, an organized association of youngsters engaged in the informal
sector run a green business.
I met Malde clad in a
T-shirt and carting in animal manure from a heap partially spread to dry in a
buffer. I was impressed by the way the lad efficiently shovelled the compost
into every container he thought needed the input. He did not seem to mind the
foul smell emanating from the animal manure.
Malde answered my queries
respectfully while moving between thirsty plants that needed watering. He would,
at times, converse over his cell phone, receiving orders that needed delivery.
"Although we are fifteen of
us working here, each one operates independently. We are grateful that the City
Government officials are trying to help us until a new development project comes
to send us to the periphery," he said.
This site is very good
because of its proximity to the dwellings of the well-to-do community residing
in the Bole area. Business was slack when they started. They are now thriving.
With the rainy season approaching, they expect better sales, according to Malde.
"We get the seedlings from
Bishoftu at a fair price," he said.
You can find fruit trees,
such as citrus fruits, peaches and apples, as well as false flowers cabbages,
angels trumpet, mogabile, roses, fast runners, perennial and seasonal flowers,
and such grasses like kikyu frass and vetiver frass. Perhaps I should dwell
further on this type of grass and its uses in the light of our requirements in
many areas where we need to preserve soil and prevent contamination by chemical
bodies entering our water reservoirs.
A week ago, I was listening
to a radio program about research on a special type of grass at Wondo Genet
University. This grass, Deshe as it is commonly known in the area, has special
qualities of growing fast into thick hedges on sloppy and naked soil. It has the
quality of binding the loose soil together and also prevents soil erosion.
The shoulders of these new
roads lying on sloppy landscape are doomed to be eroded and short-lived if
nothing is done soon. Last week's torrential downpour is a timely warning to the
Addis Abeba City Roads Authority to take action now, as stitching one hole in
time will save nine in the future. |
