Rockslides threaten the lives and property of families living in the back neighborhoods of Al-Mualla and Crater Districts near “Al-Ma’ashiq” area, the seat of the internationally recognized government in the city of Aden.
The level of fear has increased in conjunction with the increasing urbanization and population expansion in those dangerous mountainous sites, especially since the residents of these neighborhoods depend on splitting rocks and boulders, extracting stones to build their homes, and building on the slopes of eroded and detached volcanic mountains.
Since 2015, the war in Yemen has caused a large displacement movement towards the city of Aden. This was reflected in the urban sprawl, which expanded to include dangerous areas that are unsuitable for living and stability. Consequently, the financial hardship resulting from the economic and living collapse has prompted hundreds of families to build in the mountainous areas located in “Al-Mualla and Crater” areas to escape the high real estate rents that have become a great burden on citizens, especially after the adoption of the process of payment in hard currency, the US dollar, and the Saudi Riyal.
In this regard, informed sources in the Geological Survey and Mineral Resources Authority in Aden revealed that the city is on the brink of disaster, warning of imminent rockslides that require urgent protection measures.
Likewise, a field study conducted by the project to produce a rock cover risk map at the Geological Survey and Mineral Resources Authority in Aden concluded that the districts of Seera and Al-Mualla are at risk of rock rockslides.
“Dozens of homes and families are at risk of rockslides, especially those built randomly on the foothills of the mountain slopes, in Al-Khasaf and Al-Aidarous, over the past few years.”
According to the study reviewed by "Khuyut", rockslides could happen at any time due to the geological formation of the rocks in these areas, which goes back to what is known as the Tertiary Volcanoes of Yemen, whose rocks are characterized by the presence of cracks, discontinuities, and breaks.
Further, hundreds of displaced and marginalized families live in homes made of zinc sheets and wood in the back mountainous areas of Al-Mualla and the neighborhoods of Al-Khasaf and Shi'b Al-Aidaroos as a result of the high construction costs and the deterioration of the other economic conditions, which threatens a humanitarian catastrophe in the event of volcanic rock avalanches in these areas.
Geological Survey Reveals the Danger
In a statement to “Khuyut”, the geologist in the Geotechnics department at the Geological Survey and Mineral Resources Authority, Bashar Al-Tayeb, indicates that an integrated survey had been conducted at the level of Seera and Al-Mualla districts, which included about 50 sites, including 8 sites that were identified as high-risk sites in Seera district and one site in Al-Mualla district.
This came, according to Al-Tayeb, during a field visit to the districts of Seera and Al-Mualla within the framework of the continuation of the work of the rock cover hazard map project, which aims to assess the stability of the slopes and rock masses in these areas. In addition to reports submitted by citizens in these areas, in which they appealed to the responsible authorities in the state to come down and take appropriate remedies to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe with dire consequences.
On the other hand, the urbanization expansion of the city towards the mountainous areas of the city has contributed to increasing the instability of the rocky slopes. The Geological Survey of the internationally recognized government has called for immediate action to address them, starting with the rehabilitation of the rocky slopes to reduce the risk of collapses, the evacuation of residents from vulnerable areas, and the placement of warning signs there in order to prevent human disasters in these areas.
The authority said it has developed a national plan to reduce the risks of rockslides. Likewise, it also indicated that it seeks to establish a monitoring system, educate residents about the dangers of rockslides, and develop legislation to regulate urban expansion in areas at risk.
Thus, these sites were studied, and the rest of the sites identified by the rock hazard map were checked. They were divided into three ranges in terms of the degree of danger, which depend on the population density, the number of homes in the areas of collapses, and the position, number, and size of fallen rock masses.
Al-Tayeb confirms that dozens of homes and families are at risk of rockslides, especially the homes that were built randomly on the foothills of the mountain slopes in Al-Khasaf and Al-Aidaroos over the past few years.
He continues: "The presence of these breaks, cavities, and caves beneath and on the sides of the rock masses helped the erosion and weathering factors create weak levels and layers whose thickness varies from one place to another in the volcanic rocks, which led to the instability of these rock masses.”
Negligence and Violations
Residents of these areas confirm, in separate conversations with “Khuyut”, that there is chaos sweeping these areas in light of a complete absence of control or supervision by the concerned authorities, with the expansion of settlements and random construction in these areas, whereas the last attention of the local public authorities dates back to before 2011.
In turn, Imad Abdullah, who works in the private sector and is a resident of the Shi’b Al-Aidroos area in Crater, points out, in an interview with “Khuyut”, that the war and conflict in Yemen, as well as the rise in the prices of land and rents, have caused a sprawl on these areas, which are popular areas whose rents are low and reasonable compared to other areas in Aden.
Meanwhile, another citizen adds that there are merchants and officials working on renting these buildings to low-income citizens and displaced people who cannot afford the exorbitant rents for housing and real estate in other areas of the city.
“Khuyut” has been monitoring the continuous falling of rocks from time to time in these areas since 2015, causing material losses, especially with the rainfall or while breaking stones for construction.
In June 2020, many homes in these areas were severely damaged, especially those located in the city of Crater, due to rockslides from Al-Bumis mountain overlooking the Al-Aidaroos area.
“The local authorities in the city of Aden did not take the initiative to solve this problem but rather committed violations against the residents of those areas, causing a large displacement of residents, in addition to storming and burning the homes of marginalized people in the Crater area.”
The expert and geological engineer, Bashar Al-Tayeb, believes that human intervention plays a key role in increasing the instability of the rocky slopes as a result of the increased urbanization expansion in the city towards the slopes, which is accompanied by random and continuous cutting works on the feet and frontage of the lower slopes.
These operations are carried out without any study of the suitability of these sites for urban expansion, especially studies of landslides. So if this random sprawl is not stopped, the city is on the verge of a real disaster.
Furthermore, the local authorities in the city of Aden did not take the initiative to solve this problem but rather committed violations against the residents of those areas, causing a large displacement of residents, in addition to storming and burning the homes of marginalized people (Muhamasheen) in the Crater area. Whereas reports from civil and human rights centers and organizations document that 200 families living on the "AL-Faras" mountain were subjected, during the period from October 2 to 12, 2021, to various violations, including arrests, raids, destruction and burning of homes, and forced displacement.
Factors Predisposing to Collapse and Fall
According to the geological diagnosis, a large percentage of these blocks are separate and almost freed rock masses from the slopes on which they are located, and they are likely to fall and collapse at any time due to the geological formation of the rocks in these areas, which go back to what is known as the Tertiary volcanoes of Yemen, whose rocks are characterized by the presence of cracks, discontinuities, and breaks.
As mentioned by the geological expert, Bashar Al-Tayeb, the Seera district is considered one of the areas prone to rockslides in general due to the nature of the geological structure that composes it, pointing out that what has been identified are only the most dangerous sites for the district of Seera, and so this does not mean that the rest of the areas are safe.
These sites are characterized by cracked, rocky cliffs. This cracking in the rocks causes them to lose their bond and cohesion with the original rock on these slopes, causing the rocks to roll, fall, and overturn. They are within the high-risk range for all facilities and dwellings located at the feet of the mountain ridges, according to the academic professor at Lahj University.
For his part, Sami Rasheed, professor of geography at Lahj University, who is interested in environmental and agricultural issues, attributes, in his interview with "Khuyut", the causes of the possible collapses in Al-Mualla and Seera districts in Aden to the fact that the rock layers in this range belong to the group of volcanic rocks that are characterized by irregular slopes, in which there is no spread of vegetation cover, pointing out that the history of its origin dates back to the Miocene and Pliocene eras.
He adds that the Shamsan mountain ridge, known as the “Caldera” range, which means the “Al-Ar” mountain, is considered one of the highest mountains surrounding Aden and even the greatest. It was known in the past as the “Al'ur” Mountain. Its height is about 553 meters at the highest peak above sea level. This rocky mass gradually slopes towards the west.
Further, this ecologist points out that there are geomorphological manifestations that have emerged in these mountains, represented by cliffs, caves, and breaks resulting from marine and wind erosion.
He continues: "The rockslides currently witnessed in the areas of Al-Mualla and Seera and the rockfall in this range have various overlapping causes and factors. These areas are unstable due to the spread of geological vulnerability areas, which facilitated the disintegration and fracture of rocks and predisposed them to collapse and fall.
In addition, the process of faulting and rocky separation helped in breaking the rock and fragmenting it into varying rock masses, which caused faults and discontinuities (joints) and cracks in the body of the volcanic rock as a result of some masses resting on weak and fragile layers and forming slippery surfaces. Consequently, when they are exposed to moisture, these rocky masses slide over them.
The phenomenon of rockfall is due to the influence of extreme climatic factors such as wind, heat, and cold. Besides that, the region is located in a seismic range, which may be caused by earthquakes. In addition to the exposure of the region to human activity represented by the construction of housing, facilities, roads, and economic projects without environmental and engineering studies.
“Khuyut” concludes, in its field monitoring and verification of all the data and information obtained, that there is an urgent need that the competent authorities must quickly work on, which is to map the potential risks through field work and aerial photographs and their link to the population distribution and its density, buildings, and economic projects. Besides, this requires, at the same time, staying as far away as possible from the feet of mountains in the ranges prone to active rockfall.
This is after carrying out large economic facilities in the unstable natural range within 600 meters, and dealing with the rocky wall that reduces the rolling speed of the rock masses, by covering these areas with layers of clay and sand so as to reduce the kinetic energy of the rock masses when rolling.
