ðə kˈɜːɹənt ɐwˈɑːʃ ɹˈɪvɚ tɹˈævəlz sˈaʊθ tə nˈɔːɹθ əkɹˌɑːs ðə stˈʌdi ɹˈiːdʒən, ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli ˈɛmptiɪŋ ˌɪntʊ lˈeɪk æbˈeɪ ɔnðɪ ˌiːθɪˈoʊpiədʒɪbˈuːɾi bˈoːɹdɚ.
The current Awash River travels south to north across the study region, eventually emptying into Lake Abbé on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border.