Ten years from now, Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, could completely run out of water. If this happens, Sana’a will be the first capital city in the world to run dry. Currently, its nearly two million citizens do not have access to clean water on a daily, or, in some cases, even a weekly basis. In a country that is dealing with massive political unrest and severe poverty, the water shortage has, in some ways, taken a back seat to other pressing issues.

Approximately 25 million people live in Yemen, and it is estimated that 54 percent live in poverty. In addition to widespread poverty, Yemen is still recovering and putting its government back together in the wake of the Arab Spring. Political instability is still prevalent in the region with violence, revolts, and a strong presence of Al Qaeda militancy. Even with all of these issues, Yemen’s quickly depleted water sources should be its number one concern according to Naji Abu Hatim, a Yemeni expert at the World Bank. To put the water crisis into perspective, the water poverty line, according to the United Nations,  is 1,000 cubic meters. Citizens in Yemen average 140 cubic meters.

With above ground freshwater sources quickly drying up, citizens have turned to tapping into underground resources. Fewer than half of the wells in Yemen regulated by the municipality are being used on a regular basis. Unregulated drilling and installing of wells has become commonplace, further lowering the water table in an attempt to access running water more often than a few times a month. Since water is only available in certain places, it has become common for people to try to fill as many containers as they can and walk the water back to their house.

The limited availability of water has led to tension over who should have access what little resources that are left. Some disputes have already led to violence in some regions where water is particularly scarce. Unless immediate action is taken to reverse the water crisis, it is likely that more violence will follow as access to water becomes more scarce.

While some action has been taken, many say it does not go far enough. Until there is massive public and government interest in the crisis, it is likely to remain a backseat issue. Currently, there are short term campaigns sponsored by the government. Tawfeek Al-Sharjabi, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Water and Environment, says these campaigns do not adequately address the problem, but the government does not have enough money to devote to long term solutions. Al-Sharjabi also says he believes the ministry cannot solve the water crisis on their own; instead it is an issue of collaboration between aid organizations and the government. “We believe that this is connected to political solutions,” Al-Sharjabi says.

– Colleen Eckvahl

Sources: BBC, Reuters, Yemen Times
PHoto: NPR