Water and War in Yemen, Daily Brief December 11, 2023

Water is being used as a weapon of war in Yemen – with disastrous effects.

Both sides in the long-running conflict - the Houthis and the Yemeni government - are responsible for a desperate situation in and around the besieged western city of Taizz.

The Houthis have blocked water from flowing into the government-controlled city, while government-affiliated military forces have sold public water supplies to residents for profit. Saudi and UAE-led coalition forces, the government’s allies, have conducted airstrikes on water infrastructure, including water tanks, pumping stations, and pipelines, throughout the country, including in Taizz.

Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. The UN has found that 15.3 million Yemenis do not have access to sufficient, safe water for personal and domestic uses, including drinking, cooking, and sanitation. That’s more than half the population of the country.

The governorate of Taizz has historically struggled to provide adequate water for residents, but the war has made everything worse. Many of its water sources, facilities, and services are inoperable due to war-inflicted damage, salinization issues, or continuous electricity outages because lack of fuel that causes water pumps to stop working.

Of the 88 wells linked with Taizz’s public water supply network, only 21 of are working. This leaves people – at least those who can afford it – forced to buy water from trucks or private wells. Everyone else is left to collect rainwater and rely on water provided by aid groups. It’s nowhere near enough.

This is not a new problem – it’s been going on since the Houthis laid siege to Taizz city in 2015 – and the dangers are well-known. The shortage of safe and sufficient drinking water, and the lack of adequate sanitation has contributed to the spread of water-borne illnesses and disease. In 2017, for example, a cholera outbreak in Taizz killed more than 2,000 people.

How many more victims of weaponized water will there be in Taizz?

In a new report, my colleague and expert Niku Jafarnia puts it plainly: “The right to water is one of the most essential components of the right to life. The warring parties urgently need to put an end to the Taizz water crisis.”