Water crises in Yemen [Archives:2008/1144/Opinion]
Nasser Mohamed Al-Yazidi
Scarcity of water resources and the environment have become decisive factors that shape decisions of international agencies, national government, local communities, and more or less, individuals who understand the relationship between life and environmental ecosystems. Nevertheless, little if any tangible progress has been noticed on the ground, especially in developing countries where water and water-related ecosystems are constantly deteriorating in terms of both quality and quantity to result in many water-borne diseases and environmental disasters. Million of people still lack permissible drinking water, while millions others are suffering from flood disasters and hurricanes. Such environmental events are just part of reacting indications of the dilemma of our green planet.
Not only is nature starting to express its restlessness from people's selfishness, but also people themselves are starting to threaten each other, trying to get more shares from the scarce and diminishing water resources. Some pessimistic hypotheses expect bloody water conflicts on local, regional and even on global levels. In fact, somehow implicit or explicit conflict indications are already there in various countries including our dear Yemen. We are happier than others are, because we don't have considerable shared-water resources or trans-boundary rivers! However, at the same time, we are the saddest regarding our scarce and depleted water resources.
Both trans-boundary-shared and local scarce water resources can create water rights disputes leading to conflicts over accessibility to water resources, but local conflicts are more dangerous than trans-boundary ones. Therefore, increasing attention is paid to enact international and regional treaties and national laws that could regulate accessibility to water rights based on a holistic vision that emphasizes an equitable, integrated and sustainable development approach. More or less, all countries are committed to such a vision that is encouraged and supported by donor communities.
While Yemen is one of the most water-poor countries, it receives considerable financial and technical support from different donor countries and international agencies. The most precious, credible and unconditional support is rather limited to the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Netherlands. These two countries are doing their best to enhance capacity development of Yemen Water Sector in general and water resources management in particular. Their support is accountable in terms of commitment to MDGs (Management Development Goals) and related declarations of the known Earth Summits.
The Federal Republic of Germany through GTZ- technical cooperation and KFW- financial cooperation with Yemen has been adopting comprehensive and integrated water sector development programs to cover all water resources management, water supply and sanitation and human resources development issues in different areas of Yemen territory. For these purposes, they have permanent follow-up and monitoring offices through which daily contact with relevant Yemeni institutions and other donor partners is taken place uninterruptedly to be sure of both efficient use and effectiveness of the support. Numerous milestones and targets have been achieved so far, from the establishment of water basin management committees, organizational strengthening and decentralized local water supply and sanitation corporations to human resources development, rural water supply projects and no end to reforming and development strategies, etc. Since the core problem is the physical scarcity and depletion of water resources, the GTZ-IWRM has been initiating and launching a holistic integration approach concerning water resources management that constitutes the base for sector-wide multi-stakeholder action. Based on such an insightful vision, the GTZ-IWRM delivers technical support to central and local organizations of the National Water Resources Authority, the Basin Committees and try to secure effective coordination among related water sector authorities. With regard to its comprehensive approach, unconditional feature and planning period which will be extended until 2015, one may say that Yemen-German technical and financial cooperation as a whole is unprecedented by whatever measurements device.
Despite a critical water situation that claims efficient use of both national efforts and donor supports, it is experienced that Yemeni institutions are still not capable enough to digest and assimilate such multi-purpose support. On the occasion of World Water Day, one has to call on Yemeni counterparts to seize the opportunity to have better use of all technical and financial support in a way that bases for technically self-reliance and financial self-dependency to be reached at a reasonable time, and at the end, to re-pay some of the graceful and generous support, especially that of unconditional, honest and faithful delivered by the German people. Lastly, happy new water year. Amen.
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