Restoring Clean Water and Bringing Back Life to Farming Communities in Yemen

Aden – As one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, the effects of climate change have not been lost on Yemeni society. Even before the current conflict, communities found themselves in competition over dwindling resources.

Today, increasingly common droughts, desertification and land degradation in Yemen has further restricted the availability of arable land and access to safe drinking water – and further intensifies tensions among people struggling to already survive amid conflict and displacement.

According to the UN Development Programme, all groundwater sources in Yemen will be dry in less than 20 years if the current groundwater exploitation rate continues.

“One of the problems we have had for 50 years is a lack of water,” said Shaikh, a community leader in Lahj who was born there in 1974.

“Water is the basis of life. Without water men, women and children experience physical, financial and psychological problems, loss of lives, and many other troubles,” added Ali, a resident of Lahj.

Water scarcity is particularly hard-felt in Yemen – where millions of people live in rural areas dependent on local agriculture. Farmers are often forced to travel far distances to fetch water to keep their crops alive, while women and children make far-off treks in search of clean drinking water.

“We used to bring water from far places, we had to walk for more than one kilometre every day and it is not enough. Children were not going to school and women were often in serious danger on the long journey to collect water,” added Ali.

“The water they were collecting was too salty and undrinkable. Many children died or became sick,” he added.

Thousands of people in Yemen are now seeing this burden lifted.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) – with the support of the European Union – rehabilitated eight water infrastructure sites throughout the country to help ease tensions among water-stressed communities, particularly in areas where high numbers of displaced people were putting pressure on services.

“Tap water is now available in every single house – it is clean, drinkable, healthy and treated with chlorine. Children can go back to school instead of going to fetch water. Women are not suffering anymore,” said Saleh, a resident of Lahj about the newly-restored water network in his home area.

Rehabilitation works included the construction of water towers and tanks, expansion of water networks, installation of solar water pumping units, enhancement of local wells and improvement of sewage networks among other initiatives.

The community-based project was developed in consultation with both the local host and displaced or returnee community members, as well as local authorities, to ensure sustainability and cohesion among them.

Farmers also struggle with water scarcity in Ma’rib – the governorate hosting the highest number of displaced people. It is also home to one of the largest water dams in Yemen, which has been struggling to meet the needs of the community in recent years.

A lack of resources in Yemen has made it difficult for state institutions to build and maintain permanent, modern and efficient irrigation infrastructure. The neglect of water pipes and blockages of channels in dams like the one in Ma’rib has deprived farmers of a steady flow of water needed to irrigate their farms.

“I’ve been farming since 2011 and always struggled to water my crops. Until recently, we could not benefit from the Ma’rib dam because the channels were always clogged. It was not possible to control the flow of water, so a lot would go to waste,” said Omar, a farmer from Ma’rib.

To help farmers overcome this challenge, IOM and the EU revitalized the Ma’rib dam as part of their country-wide efforts to restore access to water. In total, 76 dam channel gates totaling 48,200 meters in length were cleaned and repaired.

Water is now flowing through the dam and reaching the fields of farmers like Omar across the governorate.

“Water channels and gates were rehabilitated to ensure water reaches distant areas.

It has also improved living conditions and will create job opportunities for displaced and local community members in sectors like farming or agribusiness,” said Ahmed Al-Arefi, Dam Manager in Ma’rib.

“Life is finally coming back to our crops. The mosquitoes have disappeared, the water is much cleaner, and pests are no longer damaging my onions,” added Omar.

Thanks to support from the EU,  thousands of people in Yemen are now able to access more sustainable, safe and reliable sources of water.