WHAT IT MEANSYemen’s water crisis [Archives:2008/1122/Local News]
By: Dr. Khaled Kassem Kaid
[email protected]
The process of economic and social development faces a great challenge, i.e. scarce water resources and increasing consumption of underground water reserves. This exacerbates the water shortage year after year.
Yemen suffers an imbalance between annual rainfall on one hand and water demand on the other. Average renewable water resources are 125 cubic meters per capita, approximately 10% of the amount consumed by a Middle Easterner or North African, who use an average of 1,250 cubic meters each, and only 2% of per capita usage internationally, which is 7,500 cubic meters. These indicators place Yemen among the 10 water-poorest countries in the world.
Development in peril
The water volume in Yemen, or what is called in economic jargon as the total offer of renewable water, is about 5.1 billion cubic meters. Rainwater is the country's main source, comprising 93% of the current total water resources, while surface water, ground water and unconventional source waters (seawater distillation, reuse of sewer water, etc.) represent 4.86%, 2.08%, and 00.01% of overall water resources respectively.
The total water demand is increasing rapidly, from 4.5 billion cubic meters in 1990 to an estimated 13 billion cubic meters in 2020. The current demand for water seems to be limited to three main areas: agriculture (95%), households (3.2%) and industries (1.8%).
Taking into consideration the volume of available water resources along with that expected to be consumed through 2020, water shortage is expected to reach 15 billion cubic meters in 2020, assuming that the country continues to produce basics such as grains, vegetables and fruits to maintain the food demands of its ever-increasing population.
The water problem is getting worse due to pollution resulting from human activity which negatively impacts water quality and may shrink the volume of available water resources. There is a possibility for increased untreated sewer water to make its way down to the water-bearing layer. The problem is going to exacerbate in the future, given the quick-paced population growth coupled with overuse of existing water resources, not to mention the sustained pollution and growing demand for fresh water.
Water pollution primarily affects the health and well-being of a large number of women, men and children, especially the poor and marginalized who are more vulnerable than others. They are mainly herders and small farmers whose livelihood depend fundamentally on water. Similarly, considering the increasing population, the shortage and low quality of water affect the poor urban centers where it is difficult to find any source of water.
Water security is a pillar of national security of any country, particularly when such a country suffers a scarcity of water resources like Yemen. The importance of water is not only limited to its use for drinking and irrigation to produce crops and food but it is equally important for sustainable development because water availability is inextricably linked to public health, unemployment, poverty, girl's education and development in general. Therefore, water scarcity and competition for it may be a cause for economic and social instability, harming social peace and national security, especially in light of the fact that 53% of Yemen's workforce is employed in the agricultural sector.
Role of the government
Consecutive Yemeni governments have adopted improper policies and measures for managing water affairs. Usually centralized, policy focused on cost management, which implies that the government provided fresh water at the lowest cost possible for households, agriculture and industry. It gave little attention to fair distribution, sustainability of water systems and quality of water.
The Yemeni government committed a mistake when it invested in the water sector. Estimates indicate that there are 1,459 water facilities (560 dams) with a storage capacity of 94 million cubic meters, with an average of 64.4 thousand cubic meters each. The cost of those facilities reached $113 million, an average of $1.20 per cubic meter, which is high by all means.
Qat, which covers some 40% of the irrigated area, consumes 60% of the usable water in Yemen, according to the figures of some experts. For example, the total volume of water used annually in qat irrigation in Sana'a province surpasses 60 million cubic meters, around double the volume of water consumed by the city of Sana'a itself.
With Yemen's freshwater being depleted, it is crucial to maintain water resources and optimize their use quantitatively and qualitatively. This could be achieved through water demand management (WDM), which means the adoption of a package of measures in order to urge individuals to regulate the quantity and price of water, the way they access it and the way they dispose of it, thus lessening pressure on freshwater reserves and ensuring water quality.
WDM can be achieved through a number of measures and practices such as awareness campaigns, the use of technology, incentives and pricing, regulations and laws, etc. It is necessary that WDM adopt a comprehensive view of water as an essential component of any good governance strategy, a crucial factor for environmental balance and biodiversity, and a vital element of public health. Water issues must be incorporated into school curricula and become a subject of scientific research and knowledge transfer activities.
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