Pressing Water And Food Needs In Yemen

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have stated that 23.4 million Yemenis will need humanitarian assistance in 2022. Of this number 17.8 million lack access to safely managed water and sanitation facilities.

Yemenis are currently facing multiple and mutually reinforcing humanitarian emergencies: the conflict is inflicting civilian casualties and causing internal displacements, while the devaluation of the Rial and the rise in global food prices have exacerbated food insecurity.

After more than seven years of conflict, more than 4 million people remain internally displaced in Yemen. According to a 2022 humanitarian needs overview, some 12.9 million people are in acute need of humanitarian assistance, and some of the highest levels of vulnerability are concentrated in displacement hosting sites.

The UN-brokered truce between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels has held for four months, leading to a significant reduction in civilian casualties and reducing the disruptions in essential public services.

However, the need for food is increasing while the prices are rising: the rial was devalued by 57% over 2021, followed by the increase in world food prices induced by the war in Ukraine. In a country that imports 90% of its food, supply chains are being threatened.

Waste management has been negatively affected by the crisis, as Euronews reports a threat to the water supplies of the capital city Sanaa from the dumping of tonnes of untreated medical waste in the Al Azraqain landfill. 

Nevertheless, the main problem for the humanitarian response in Yemen remains the low levels of funding: the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya reported in July that the humanitarian response plan for Yemen is less than 30% funded.