Arend Kolhoff
Technical secretary
The NCEA advised on the quality of EIA reports for dam projects in three Wadis in Yemen. Upon its conclusion that neither of the EIA reports is complete, it provided guidelines for improved EIAs.
Significant details
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in Yemen is planning to construct three large dams:
- A dam in Wadi Bana, for storage, flood control and control of irrigation supplies;
- A dam in Wadi Hassan, which would be closely interlinked with the one in Wadi Bana, but they are considered separately because they can be separately developed;
- A dam in Wadi Surdud, with multiple purposes associated with flood control and irrigation.
The Environmental Ministry asked the NCEA to advise on the quality of the EIA reports that were prepared for these three projects. In addition, the NCEA was requested to provide guidelines for supplementary information that should be added to the EIA reports, where necessary.
The NCEA formed a working group of experts and paid site visits. In the resulting reviews, the NCEA concluded that the reports do not meet the Yemeni EIA standards. Most importantly, no alternatives were assessed – which makes comparison of alternatives and a sound decision impossible. The NCEA therefore advised on guidelines for an improved EIA report, following good practice principles.