Jul – Sep 2026
TEM & ERT surveys at four sites to locate water supply wells
Ethiopian Red Cross Society · Harshin Woreda, Somali Region
Established August 2021 · Addis Ababa
We find water. We prove it. We deliver it.
Grade One consulting engineers in water resources, water supply and sanitation, environment, geology, hydrogeology, geophysics and geotechnical investigation. Based in Addis Ababa, working for public, development and private clients in Ethiopia and abroad.
G1Grade OneECA Reg.WRCF/1/38
70+Projects since 2021, in ten regions
21+Key professionals, M.Sc. & PhD
15+yrsAverage expert experience
99%Well-siting success
About us
Water resources projects, from first study to handover.
Milto Engineering PLC is a Grade One water resources consultancy. One team takes a project through study, design, construction supervision and contract administration, so nothing is lost between stages.
We start with the study: water resources assessment, hydrogeological and geophysical investigation, demand projections and feasibility. The design follows directly from that evidence, covering water sources, supply and sanitation schemes, irrigation and drainage, with drawings, specifications, bills of quantities and tender documents ready for procurement.
Once works begin, we supervise drilling and construction on site, run pumping tests and quality checks, and administer the contract on the client's behalf through measurement, payment certification and final handover. Environmental and social safeguards are built in at every stage.
- Study
- Water resources assessment, hydrogeology, geophysics, feasibility and environmental assessment
- Design
- Water sources and wells, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, BoQ and tender documents
- Supervision
- Drilling and construction supervision, pumping tests, quality control and commissioning
- Contract administration
- Measurement, payment certification, variations and handover on the client's behalf
- Track record
- 70+ assignments since 2021, 21 professionals with 15+ years average experience
Where our experience comes from
Afar rift
Chifra, Aba'ala, Asayita
Young basalts, basin fill and saline, fluoride-rich groundwater on the rift floor.
Somali lowlands
Harshin, Shinile, Adigala, Dihun
Deep water tables and brackish aquifers, resolved with TEM, ERT and magnetics.
Borena & the south
Gelchet–Sarite, Borena, Felka, Limate
Siting, drilling supervision and yield verification for pastoral and town supply.
Highlands & cities
Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Nekemte, Assosa
Airport, bank and institutional wells on tight urban and construction sites.
What we do
Ten service lines across the water cycle.
Engage us for a single survey or for the whole cycle from assessment to handover. Either way, the team that reads the ground answers for the result.
01Water Resources Assessment
Planning, feasibility and management strategies, including groundwater development and monitoring.
02Water Supply & Sanitation
Study, design and supervision of urban and rural schemes, from demand assessment to wastewater treatment.
03Geological & Hydrogeological Mapping
Remote sensing, GIS and field mapping of geology, structures and aquifers.
04Geophysical & Geotechnical Surveys
VES, ERT, TEM, IP and magnetics for groundwater targeting and site characterisation, including dewatering for excavations.
05Borehole Logging & Camera
Resistivity, SP and gamma logs and downhole video to check casing, screens and well condition.
06Irrigation & Drainage
Feasibility, design and scheme supervision, including sub-surface drainage for buildings.
07Environmental Assessment
ESIA and environmental and social management for water works, aligned with the World Bank ESF.
08GIS & Remote Sensing
Spatial analysis and mapping with ArcGIS, QGIS, ERDAS Imagine and Global Mapper.
09Supervision & Contract Administration
Drilling supervision, pumping tests and construction oversight through to handover.
10Topographic & Profile Survey
Total station, GNSS and levelling surveys for engineering design.
- Investigate
- Design
- Supervise
- Test & hand over
Study & designConstruction supervisionTraining for utilities, woreda offices and WASHCOsContract management
Gallery
Snapshots from the field.
Our people at work on geophysical surveys, geological mapping, topographic survey, drilling supervision, camera inspection and pumping tests. Select a photo to see it larger.
Show
Equipment & software
Our own instruments, our own crews.
Milto Engineering PLC owns every field instrument listed here. We can mobilise two crews within days of contract signature and run them at the same time, without waiting on rented equipment.
InstrumentQtyWhat we use it for
IRIS Syscal resistivity meter (calibrated)2VES and 2D ERT, one per crew
TEM system1Deep water tables and fresh-to-saline interfaces
GEM Systems magnetometer1Fault, dyke and flow-contact traverses
Seismograph1Seismic refraction where resistivity is ambiguous
PQWT groundwater finders (GTA500, S500)2Supplementary reconnaissance
Borehole camera1Inspection of casing, screens and well condition
Water level meter, EC/pH/temperature meters1 + 3Water point inventory and field chemistry
Leica total station, GPS receivers, compasses1 + 3 + 3Positioning, profile levelling and structural measurements
4x4 field vehicles2One per crew, with recovery kit and satellite or HF communication for remote sites
Interpretation & design software
Laboratory partners
Drinking and irrigation water quality analyses run at nationally accredited laboratories, including the Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise.
Selected projects
From the Afar lowlands to Borena and Assosa.
Twenty-one assignments from more than 70 since 2021, each with our role on the job. Alongside them sit many smaller geophysical logging, borehole camera and electromechanical design jobs. Point at a project to see it on the map. Award letters, contracts and completion letters are available for bid evaluation.
Where we work
Locations are approximate.
Type
Status
References
Recent assignments clients will speak to.
Reference letters and completion certificates are available on request.
Nov 2025 · Ongoing
Yield and quality verification, design, contract administration and supervision at four borehole sites
Ministry of Water and Energy · HoA-GW4RP (World Bank) · Borena Zone, Oromia
Nov – Dec 2025
Hydrogeological investigation and well siting for Package One earthworks and camps
Ethiopian Airlines Group / Alliance Infrastructure Group · Bishoftu International Airport
Aug 2024 – Sep 2025
Hydrogeological investigation and drilling supervision for five supply wells
Oromia Water & Energy Bureau · Gelchet–Sarite, Borena
Sep 2023 · Ongoing
Study, design and supervision of the building's groundwater supply
Awash Bank · Bulbula Branch, Addis Ababa
Nov – Dec 2023
Hydrogeological and geophysical survey, well design and drilling specification
Expertise France · Aba'ala Primary Hospital, Afar
Also trusted by International Medical Corps, COOPI, ChildFund Ethiopia, MIDROC, the Ministry of Health and Tsedey Bank.Request a reference letter
Beyond Ethiopia
Ready for water projects across the Horn and East Africa.
Our base is Addis Ababa, but the ground we know well does not stop at the border. The rift basalts, basement aquifers and arid lowlands we work in every day continue into neighbouring countries, and we are ready to take our teams and equipment there.
Procurement we already work under
We prepare proposals, safeguard documents and contract records to the standards international financiers expect, and we have delivered assignments under World Bank-financed programmes.
- World BankProcurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Environmental and Social Framework
- African Development BankProcurement Policy and Integrated Safeguards System
- United Nations agenciesUN procurement and humanitarian WASH standards
Where we are ready to work
We can mobilise survey crews, our own geophysical equipment and senior hydrogeologists to these markets on short notice.
KenyaDjiboutiSomalilandSouth SudanWider Horn & East Africa
Planning a project outside Ethiopia? Send us your ToR and we will tell you how we would staff and run it.
Clients & partners
Trusted by public institutions, development partners and private clients.
We report to the standards of federal ministries and international financiers, and we keep to the timelines of private developers.
Our people
Field scientists who still go to the field.
Our professionals hold postgraduate qualifications in most disciplines and have spent their careers on Ethiopian water projects, many of them at the former Ministry of Water Resources and the Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise. Senior staff lead each assignment in person.
21Permanent and associate professionals
15+Years average experience across our technical staff
35+Years of experience held by our most senior hydrogeologist
8–20On-call experts in environment, social development, water quality and GIS
DisciplineStaffQualificationsAverage experience
Hydrogeology81 Ph.D., 6 M.Sc., 1 B.Sc.16 years
Water supply & water resources engineering33 M.Sc.16 years
Geophysics33 M.Sc.13 years
Geology & geotechnical engineering3Geologist and geotechnical engineers9 years
Environment1Ph.D.26 years
Electromechanical engineering1Engineer20 years
Finance & planning2B.Sc. Accounting, B.A. Economics6 years
Bars are drawn to a 35-year scale. CVs of the experts we propose for an assignment come with every technical proposal.
FAQs
Questions clients ask before they call.
If yours is not here, message us on WhatsApp or Telegram and an engineer will answer.
What do you need from us to prepare a proposal?
Your Terms of Reference if you have one. If not, send the site location (coordinates or woreda), what the water is for, the demand you expect, and any existing wells or past reports. We reply with a proposed scope, team, schedule and fee.
Which geophysical method will you use on my site?
It depends on the geology and the target depth. VES suits layered sequences, ERT images fractures and lateral changes, TEM reaches deep water tables and separates fresh from saline water, and magnetics traces faults and dykes. We usually combine methods so one checks the other.
Can you guarantee a successful well?
No honest consultant can before drilling. What we do is rank every target as high, medium or low confidence, give an expected depth, yield range and water quality, and keep a fallback site ready if the first borehole disappoints.
Do you work outside Addis Ababa?
Yes. Most of our work is outside the capital. Recent assignments cover Afar, the Somali Region, Borena and wider Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, Central, South and South West Ethiopia. We set up field bases and fly camps where travel times demand it.
Can you inspect an existing borehole that has lost yield?
Yes. We run a camera survey and geophysical logs to check casing, screens and encrustation, and then recommend rehabilitation or a replacement well with the cost of each.
Are you licensed for public and World Bank-financed work?
We hold a Grade One Water Resources Consulting licence from the Ethiopian Construction Authority (Reg. No. WRCF/1/38) and currently deliver assignments under the HoA-GW4RP program of the Ministry of Water and Energy.
Do you handle dewatering for deep excavations?
Yes. We assess the water table and aquifer properties at the site and design a dewatering and groundwater management plan for basements, deep foundations and trench works, so construction stays dry and neighbouring structures stay stable.
Can we get reference letters from past clients?
Yes. Reference letters and completion certificates are available on request for bid evaluation.
Let's talk about your next water project.
Send us your ToR, or just a location and a demand figure. We'll tell you what the ground is likely to give and what it will cost to find out.