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:

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.

A video from the Viva-Voce