**5. Conclusions**

This study formulated the water allocation networks under an irrigation expansion and climate change scenario using the WEAP model for the Awash River Basin. The study also calibrated and validated the streamflow successfully with a reasonable range of R<sup>2</sup> and NSE. The annual water balance of the basin was also determined by considering the main parameters that could affect the water availability of the basin. Population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural intensification further magnify the conflicts of water among users. Equitable allocation of water among competing sites and finding alternatives to improve the water availability of the basin must be given attention. Water harvesting, soil, and water conservation to minimize the rate of runoff and digging boreholes are some options to enhance the water capacity of the basin.

The present study showed that the basin is faced with water shortage when meeting the requirements of the competing users. Previous studies also showed similar results, which was a water shortage of 1.27 BCM/year in 2011 and 2.82 BCM/year in 2012 [25]. The results of the present study also provide insights into the vulnerability of the available water resources of the Awash River Basin. Therefore, this study gives a direction for decision and policy makers to maintain the existing water resources and reduce further ecological threats that prevail in the Awash River Basin due to the scarcity of water resources.

**Author Contributions:** M.G. made substantial contributions to the design, idea generating, analysis, interpretation, and drafting of the original manuscript. D.Y. commented on the draft manuscript and supervised the whole work. H.W. was a resource person of the project. T.Q. and K.W. participated in the methodology and software, and A.G., D.B., and A.A. participated in designing this study. The final manuscript before submission was checked and approved by all the authors.

**Funding:** This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Project (Grant No. 2016YFA0601503).

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to thank the National Meteorological Service Agency of Ethiopia for providing the raw meteorological data.

**Conflicts of Interest:** All authors declare no conflict of interest.
