Yemen’s garbage is intolerable [Archives:2004/713/Letters to the Editor]

Peter Llewellyn
[email protected]
I have just returned from a 2,000 km tour through Yemen over the Eid, from Sana'a, through Marib, Wadi Hadramaut, Mukalla and Bir Ali.
I am sad to say this but my lasting memory of the trip will sadly not be the magnificent landscapes and unique architecture, but rather the overriding image of the garbage and rotting waste that seem to pervade every town and village in the country (with the sole exception of Sana'a).
I am told that the national bird of Yemen is the plastic bag, seen flying high in the mountain thermals and that the national flag represents the colors of the plastic bags that adorn the vegetation downwind of any human settlements.
But surely this is no laughing matter. Broken glass, sharp tins and rotting organic waste, as well as plastic of all sorts, seem to be the play area for most Yemeni children.
What I do not understand and perhaps one of your readers would kindly enlighten me is, in a culture where personal dignity and pride appear to be very important and where the Islamic faith puts a lot of emphasis on cleanliness, how can people accept and put up with living in such filthy surroundings? To the outsider, they do not appear to care.
Current solid waste management projects, the impact of which is hard to see, will be a complete waste of money unless people take some pride in their community and its surroundings.
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