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Wastewater issues in Limu
Producing a single kilogram of green coffee requires 20 litres of water or more. At the Afata Wanja cooperative, the Aagard Mill used 23 litres per kilogram of coffee. This usage generates 4.25 million litres of wastewater over a typical three-month processing season at that site alone. I find the current wastewater management at these Ethiopian washing stations inadequate. The second project site, the Penagos Mill at Ilke Tunjo, uses approximately six times less freshwater per kilogram of coffee than the Aagard Mill. Untreated coffee processing wastewater carries high organic loads, nitrates, phosphorus, and suspended solids. This effluent is often acidic and stronger than most municipal or industrial effluent.
The Millennium Water Alliance reports that discharging untreated wastewater into local rivers degrades water quality and disrupts aquatic ecosystems through eutrophication. These rivers also threaten the communities that depend on those same water sources for drinking, cooking, washing, and livestock. The Millennium Water Alliance methodology for both processing sites rests on three principles: reduce, with a treatment plan that cuts pollutant loads; re-use by storing treated water; and recycle, by promoting a circular economy around coffee by-products. During the harvest season, Dejene Dadi, the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union, says the rivers can turn black. He adds that they can smell and livestock share community drinking water with no protection.
Laboratory failures and community hardship
The research team gathered evidence through 376 household surveys, nine focus group discussions, three school-level WASH assessments, and direct laboratory testing of effluent and drinking water at the Ilke Tunjo and Afata Wanja washing stations. The findings were sobering. Laboratory testing confirmed that single-cell earthen lagoons at both sites leave effluent Biochemical Oxygen Demand at five to six times the Ethiopian discharge standard. Total suspended solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus were higher leaving the lagoons than entering them. This suggests the lagoons generate biomass rather than providing treatment. I find the lack of effective treatment in these areas alarming.
The findings show that every school and community drinking water source sampled tested positive for E. coli and total coliforms. Seventy-five percent of households surveyed in Phase 1 named drinking water safety as their primary concern. Women and girls account for nearly 80% of water collection, making an average of three trips per day for a total of approximately 11 litres per person. This volume is less than half the Ethiopian rural standard. Two-thirds of women surveyed said the time burden costs girls their education. Women’s focus groups provided testimony to the seasonal deterioration they witness year after year. School water access is also difficult. Two of the three primary schools assessed had no water on site at all. At Ilke Tunjo, the cubicle-to-pupil ratio for girls reached 1:269, against a national standard of 1:50. I see a clear disconnect between the coffee industry’s water use and the survival of the 17,000 people living near the two cooperatives.
A multi-stakeholder water strategy
| Site | Mill Type | Water Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Afata Wanja | Aagard Mill | 23 litres per kg |
| Ilke Tunjo | Penagos Mill | ~6x less than Aagard |
The Oromia Coffee Project brings together the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Trabocca, Taylors of Harrogate, Marks & Spencer, Millennium Water Alliance, and Project Waterfall. Marks & Spencer funds the work through its A Cup of Ambition programme, with additional investment from Trabocca and Taylors of Harrogate. The Millennium Water Alliance proposes a treatment system to reduce organic pollution by 97%. This plan uses three principles: reduce pollutant loads, re-use treated water, and recycle coffee by-products. Phase 2 of the project, which is now in development, focuses on improving climate resilience, strengthening community water services, advancing gender equality through menstrual health support, and building a water stewardship model.
Ninety-three percent of households surveyed in Phase 1 said they would pay for an improved water service, and 89% would support a community maintenance fund. Dejene Dadi says this initiative protects water sources, community health, and the sustainability of the industry, which includes 407 cooperatives and more than 562,000 farmers. Even at the scale of two cooperatives, the project impacts 17,000 people.
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