Sanaa Government approves urgent matrix to address Bayda water crisis; $350,000 agreement signed

SANAA, July 07 (YPA) – An expanded meeting held in Sanaa on Tuesday, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Electricity, Energy, and Water, Adel Bader, and the Governor of Al-Bayda, Abdullah Idris, discussed measures to address the critical water situation in Bayda Governorate, particularly in Rada’a District.

The meeting, which included representatives from the local authority and the Direct Aid Association, reviewed an integrated plan featuring emergency and strategic tracks to secure drinking water and enhance sustainable water resources, in light of the drought risk and historic water scarcity facing the Rada’a water basin.

Bader emphasized that the governorate holds priority within the programs of the Sanaa government, pointing out the drilling of five emergency wells and the facilitation of drilling two additional wells funded by the Direct Aid Association. Along with the Governor of Bayda and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, he stressed the prohibition of random drilling to protect water basins.

The meeting approved the formation of a joint technical committee from the Ministries of Electricity, Water, and Agriculture, alongside the General Authority for Water Resources, to conduct a field visit to Bayda. The committee will identify locations for establishing water lakes, prepare studies to expand the boundary of the Rada’a basin, and search for a new water field.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Deputy Minister of Electricity, Energy, and Water Adel Bader, and the Project Director at the Direct Aid Association, Badr Al-Din Humaidan, signed a funding agreement worth $350,000 to implement emergency water projects in Rada’a city. The projects include reinforcing water sources, preparing technical studies for the construction of 27 water lakes to replenish groundwater, and defining the boundaries of the new wells.

YPA