Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: Sudan is witnessing an increased tempo in development projects in the wake of the severance of southern Sudan in 2011. The investment activities are mainly based on the exploitation of the country�s natural capital. Though EIAs are mandatory conducted, the health impacts that inevitably accompany these activities are not sufficiently assessed. The purpose of this article is to make a diagnosis of the status of health considerations in EIA studies and to propose measures to make the assessment more effective. Methodology: EIA reports for water diversion (dams), irrigation, oil development and gold mining projects were reviewed, taking on board cases from African EIAs. Controversial issues are highlighted taking the case of Onchocerciasis. Findings: Health impacts are included in most EI statements but not as a chapter on itself. For hydropower projects emphasis has been on the upper stream region. TB health impacts in EIA are reviewed in the case of GERD. Health issues in EIA are becoming more pressing with the proliferation of artisanal and licensed mining. Health impacts due to the expected change in livelihoods are not investigated. The health implications of climate change, as an overarching leverage, are overlooked in EIAs. Conclusions: Health issues in EIA in Sudan are lightly touched and no sole HIA is conducted. There is a need for health issues to be the core aspect in EIA studies. The issue of transboundary diseases is emerging strongly with the construction of GERD. Recommendations are made to make health assessment more effective in Sudan through, inter alia, the attention to zoonotic diseases in agricultural EIA studies, the inclusion of health monitoring near the spillways to assess black fly activity, the consideration of transboundary health aspects and the upgrading HIA to the tier of SEA.

Biography

Osman M M Ali is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Khartoum. He has completed his Ph.D in Limnology (Study of inland waters) from the University of London. His main academic interest is environmental studies with emphasis on water resources management and aquatic macrophytes. He has a long experience in the field of environmental impact assessment via teaching, research and consultations. He acted as team leader for over 30 EIA studies in the realm of oil development, gold mining, hydropower projects, roads and water harvesting. He is a Member of the IAIA, Member of East Africa Association of Impact Assessment and the National Coordinator. He was Lead Author for the Africa Chapter on Water Policies as part of UNEP GEO-5 Report which was presented at Rio+20 in 2012. He has participated in over 50 national and international workshops and conferences.