GeoSAS (Ethiopia)

Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding infants only breast milk for the first six months of life, with no additional liquids or solids except prescribed medicines, vitamins, or mineral supplements. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and identify factors associated with its practice among employed and unemployed mothers in Arada Subcity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2024. A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from July–August 2024 in four randomly selected woredas of Arada Subcity, Addis Ababa. Using proportional stratified sampling, 808 mother–infant dyads (404 employed, 404 unemployed) with infants aged 0–6 months were enrolled. Exclusive breastfeeding status was determined using a 24-hour recall method, using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted from the WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding indicators and the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. multilevel logistic regression identified factors associated with EBF, reported as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CIs. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months was reported by 440 mothers (54.7%): 69.0% (95% CI 64.3, 73.4) of nonemployed mothers and 40.3% (95% CI 35.6, 45.1) of employed mothers. Nonemployed mothers had 3.3 times greater odds of practicing EBF (AOR 3.3, 95% CI 2.47, 4.4). Among unemployed mothers, EBF was positively associated with being married, having ≥ 3 years of birth spacing, lacking religious barriers, being comfortable discussing breastfeeding, and receiving counseling. Among employed mothers, higher odds of EBF were linked to working < 20 h/week, being married, having a lower income, the absence of religious barriers, perceived workplace support, and high confidence in breastfeeding while employed. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Arada was low and more common among nonemployed mothers. EBF practices are significantly influenced by multiple factors. Strengthening workplace support; enhancing family and social support; addressing religious barriers; improving maternal confidence; ensuring effective counseling; and creating supportive environments at home, workplaces, and health facilities are recommended to improve EBF practices in cities. Not applicable.

Abstract Groundwater represents a critical natural resource for humanity, particularly in areas with limited surface water availability. The present study was aimed to map the groundwater potential zones in the Teji River catchment using remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). The catchment was selected due to its exposure to significant water stress driven by rapid population growth, agricultural expansion, and the broader impacts of global climate change. The parameters processed were on soil texture, drainage density, land-use and land-cover, rainfall, lithology, slope, topographic wetness index, and lineament density. The Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was used. Each criterion was evaluated with AHP and mapped by GIS. The groundwater potential zones were categorized into four distinct classes based on their suitability: very good (12.24%), good (30.88%), moderate (36.05%), and poor (20.8%). The study confirmed that RS and GIS techniques offer enhanced accuracy in identifying groundwater potential zones. Validation results showed that approximately 81.25% of the classified groundwater boreholes corresponded accurately with the zones delineated on the generated groundwater potential map. Further validation utilizing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve gave an AUC of 0.83. The methodology, techniques, and results of the current investigation may be useful in evaluating the groundwater potential zones in similar terrains worldwide. Furthermore, the establishment of purposeful testing wells and field geophysical investigations in potential well-drilling locations is advised to enhance effective groundwater management possibilities. Graphical Abstract This graphical abstract illustrates the key processes and findings of a study on Groundwater Potential Zone Mapping using GIS and Remote Sensing, focusing on the Teji River catchment in Southwest Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. It highlights the methodology used to identify and describe potential groundwater zones within the study area. Moreover, the graphical abstract illustrates the use of AHP for multi-criteria decision-making and integration of thematic layers such as rainfall, LULC, Soil texture, topographic wetness index (TWI), lithology, drainage density, lineament density and slope for spatial analysis and classification. The abstract presents a novel approach for mapping and assessing groundwater potential, providing insights into sustainable water resource management.

A group of pyroclastic cones is dispersed in the North Chamo Volcanic Field, i.e. in the northern surroundings of the Chamo Lake and over neighbouring part of the Nech Sar plains (southern termination of the Main Ethiopian Rift). The activity of scattered cinder cones was partly coeval with that of Tosa Sucha Volcano (Calabrian), but continued also after Tosa Sucha's extinction until Middle Pleistocene (c. 0.5 Ma). Whereas scoria cones on the Nech Sar plains displayed a rather simple Strombolian eruptive style, the cones located within the northern part of Chamo Lake were characterized by more complex evolution. Ganjulle scoria cone, with a uniform olivine basalt composition, started with a Surtseyan-style eruption, which turned into Strombolian as the volcano grew above the water level. An even more complex history was documented for the Ganta cone. Compositional zoning of pyroclastic rocks is explained by zoned-chamber exhaustion. The transition from magmatic to phreatomagmatic style of the eruption was then most likely linked to syn-eruptive subsidence of the area on the Chamo Lake banks. Subsequent transition back to Strombolian style reflected the growth of the cone above water level. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes, together with major-element-based thermodynamic modelling, demonstrate that magmas parental to the North Chamo alkaline volcanic rocks (alkali basalt, through trachybasalt and trachyandesite to trachyte) evolved initially by closed-system fractionation of olivine, later joined by clinopyroxene, spinel and calcic plagioclase. The subsequent stage was characterized by a substantial (c. 25% by mass) assimilation of country-rock felsic igneous material, perhaps corresponding to the Paleogene ignimbrites.