Netherlands and Yemen signed a $ 5 million agreement to fund the Sana’a Basin water management project, reported Sabanews.
Total project cost of US$ 30 million includes funding from World Bank and non-bank sources in US.
The agreement was signed by Mohammad Al-Saadi, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Jeroen Verheul, the Dutch ambassador to Yemen, at the presence of Farid Mujawar, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation and Salah Hajj Hassan, Resident Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Yemen (FAO).
Following the agreement, Al-Saadi remarked the contributions of the Dutch government for the development in Yemen, pointing to the water use management project in Sana’a Basin.
For his part, the Dutch ambassador assured the support to enhance stability in Yemen, signifying the level of cooperation between Yemen and the Netherlands.
The first phase of the Sana’a Basin Water Management Project will assist the Government in containing the depletion of groundwater, a timing which will allow for the conversion of the Basin’s economy into less water-intensive activities.
As per the report, the first component will achieve water savings, and conservation in agriculture. The second component will accelerate groundwater recharge, through small conventional dams. The third component will help develop a regulatory framework, to apply regulatory procedures for water rights management.
The fourth, fifth and sixth components, will promote public awareness campaigns, environmental management, and mitigation plans, and, support project management activities, respectively.