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Volume 5, Issue 3 (Suppl) Occup Med Health Aff, an open access journal
ISSN:2329-6879 Occupational Health-2017
September 13-14, 2017
.
September 13-14, 2017 | Dallas, USA
Occupational Health & Safety
6th International Conference and Exhibition on
Environmental impact assessment and health aspects in Sudan: A diagnosis cure approach
Osman M M Ali
University of Khartoum, Sudan
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.
Osman M M Ali, Occup Med Health Aff 2017, 5:3 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2329-6879-C1-034