The catchment of the reservoir is 28.89 km² large, with a perimeter of 27.8 km and a length of 6740 metres. The reservoir suffers from rapid siltation. The lithology of the catchment is Agula Shale. As soon as the water table starts lowering after the end of the rainy season, the surrounding farmers implement recession agriculture on the exposed sediment. Part of the water that could be used for irrigation is lost through seepage; the positive side-effect is that this contributes to groundwater recharge.
References
^ De Wit, Joke (2003). Stuwmeren in Tigray (Noord-Ethiopië): kenmerken, sedimentatie en sediment-bronnen. Unpub. M.Sc. thesis. Department of Geography, K.U.Leuven.
^Nigussie Haregeweyn, and colleagues (2008). "Sediment yield variability in Northern Ethiopia: A quantitative analysis of its controlling factors". Catena. 75 (1): 65–76. Bibcode:2008Caten..75...65H. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.011.