Taiz Families Make Do With 10 Liters of Water for 4 Days
Rising costs and blocked routes in Yemen's third-largest city have turned daily essentials into a struggle for over one million residents.
By Daniel Rogers ·
Residents of Taiz, Yemen, are now rationing their drinking water to survive. Families that once used ten liters a day for cooking and drinking are stretching that same amount over four days. Hadil al-Shahid, a hair salon owner, said her household stopped drinking coffee and tea to conserve the supply. The cost of bottled water has jumped as high as 75 percent compared to a few weeks ago, forcing some neighbors to buy on credit.
The strain on water is part of a wider squeeze on daily life in the city. Grocery prices have climbed, and fuel shortages have made it harder to run hospitals and sanitation services. Cooking gas prices have more than quadrupled, according to Hani Bafaqih of the aid group CARE. Many households have switched to burning wood, charcoal, or cardboard for heat. Flour and rice cost about 50 percent more than they did in the summer.
This situation has developed over several weeks. The conflict in Yemen began in 2014 when Houthi rebels took the capital, Sanaa. Taiz has been a key battleground since then. Damage to aging water infrastructure, combined with drought and population growth, had already lowered groundwater levels. Until recently, residents relied on water trucks to fill the gap. That system has now faltered as the siege tightens.
The Houthi advance accelerated in September. After capturing the port city of Mokha, located about 130 kilometers away, rebels moved to encircle Taiz. They have seized control of roads and land surrounding the city. This has cut off access to nearby wells and blocked many water trucks from entering. Truckers who still make the dangerous journey have tripled their rates. Desalination plants and water utilities are running below capacity due to low fuel supplies.
The city is also absorbing a large influx of displaced people. United Nations migration experts estimate that Taiz province has taken in roughly 124,000 people since August. That is about half of those displaced elsewhere in Yemen. Jens Laerke, a UN spokesperson, noted that some families survive on one meal a day in makeshift shelters. He warned that the shortages are compounding, increasing the risk of disease like cholera as people use unprotected wells.
The government still holds the center of the city, but the siege complicates resupplying its forces. Fighting is heavy in the hills east of Taiz. Analysts say controlling the city is a strategic goal for the Houthis if they want to push south toward Aden. Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group described any attempt to seize parts of the city as a prolonged and costly battle. Three Houthi officials claim the group controls about 80 percent of the surrounding countryside and several neighborhoods inside the city.
The danger to civilians is immediate. Earlier this week, Houthi missiles hit a residential area and killed two teenage girls. Ahmed Abdel Gaber, who shelters in a ruined building with nine relatives, hears explosions daily from fighting three miles away. Al-Shahid said she cannot afford to leave her home. She stated that staying is inevitable, whether it is a matter of life or death.
Aid groups are calling for the roads into the city to open immediately. Amnesty International warned that Taiz is being pushed to the brink of a severe humanitarian disaster. The next few days will determine if the blockade continues or if a breakthrough is made. For now, residents continue to stretch their limited supplies and wait for the fighting to pause.
Source: NPR
