Urgent water, sanitation and hygiene needs in Yemen

The pond is full of rubbish and worms, a main source of diseases for the residents, particularly children and women. There are also no mesh panels to protect them from tripping and falling into the pond, making it a double safety hazard. Locals have extreme fears and concerns about fetching water but they have no other choice.

Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, and access to water has been further diminished by the impact of over five years of conflict. The lack of clean water contributes to a high prevalence of preventable diseases such as cholera, dengue fever, diarrhoea, and now COVID-19. Since 2016 the country has suffered from the worst multiple cholera outbreaks in history, with over 2.4 million cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea. Dengue fever, diphtheria, and malaria also cause a large scale of suffering and mortality year after year.

The conflict and subsequent economic collapse have dramatically increased household poverty, displaced nearly 4 million people, and increased vulnerability to, and the spread of life-threatening WASH-related disease. Amidst the breakdown of public services, only 30-40 percent of Yemenis have access to sufficient water, leaving the rest of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, without which their lives could be under threat.

Dire food insecurity continues to push the country to the brink of the famine, with 20.1 million Yemenis needing food assistance to survive. Malnutrition rates in the country remain among the highest in the world, with 25 percent of the population suffering from either moderate or severe malnutrition – including 2.1 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and lactating women. Food commodity prices have risen significantly, and food and other essential goods are becoming inaccessible for millions. The value of the Yemeni Riyal has fallen, making life even harder for many families in Yemen, particularly those living across frontlines.

The humanitarian aid operation in Yemen is the largest in the world. However, the needs are continuing to grow, given the protracted conflict and the new challenges imposed by the vast spread of COVID-19 and its devastating impact on the already fragile situation. Due to the shortage of funding, many life-saving aid programmes are threatened with closure, which could lead to a rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation. This is especially the case for WASH programmes which are suffering from a critical lack of funding.