PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Abdulsalam Ali Nasser Ahmed Shakhab in Geography and Geoinformatics
Mr. Abdulsalam Ali Nasser Ahmed Shakhab was awarded a PhD degree in Geography and Geoinformatics– Water Resources for his dissertation titled: Adequacy of Water Resources in Wadi Al-Sahool Basin, Ibb Governorate, which was submitted to the Department of Geography and Geoinformatics, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:
# Committee Members Designation Position
1 Prof. Mohammed Abdulaziz Saad Yusr Internal Examiner Chair
2 Assoc. Prof. Abdulmalik Thabet Al-Jabali Main Supervisor Member
3 Assoc. Prof. Jalal Abdo Ibrahim Othman Al-Ariqi External Examiner Member
The study aimed to:
Identify and analyze the current status of water resources, including their hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics.
Assess the level of water stress affecting the study area.
Calculate water adequacy for different water-use sectors.
The study yielded a number of key findings summarized as follows:
Annual surface runoff was estimated at 8,947.6 mm, while total water input reached 21,401.6 mm.
Qat cultivation ranked first within the basin, covering an area of 935 km².
A total of 647 wells were recorded, with well density varying across different valleys.
Groundwater quality was affected by the municipal landfill of Ibb City located in Al‑Sahool area.
Ten potential sites were identified as suitable locations for constructing dams and water‑harvesting barriers.
In light of these findings, the researcher recommended:
Encouraging farmers to adopt modern irrigation techniques, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
Establishing clear standards for well deepening, enforcing a well-licensing system, determining safe abstraction limits, and rationalizing water consumption across all uses.
Enacting laws and regulations aimed at protecting water resources.
Raising farmers’ awareness of crop-specific water requirements.
Relocating Ibb City landfill from its current site, due to its nearness to wells and agricultural land, and ensuring environmentally sound solid-waste disposal.
Revising the cropping pattern by replacing high water-consuming crops, such as Qat and certain vegetables, with less water-demanding crops like wheat, barley, and sorghum, and promoting cultivation during the rainy seasons.
The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.
