Residents in Yemen's Ibb province are grappling with a severe water crisis, exacerbated by prolonged supply disruptions and alarming reports of sewage contamination in the public water system. Local sources attribute the escalating problem to actions by Houthi militias, which have led to the shutdown of water projects affecting numerous city neighborhoods for weeks, with some areas experiencing outages for over a month. Specific areas like Al-Rakza and Al-Mandhar in the Al-Mashna district have been without water for weeks. Residents are demanding an end to their hardship and the dismissal of the water corporation's director due to the failure to supply their homes. The situation is compounded by the difficulty of accessing some residential areas with water trucks, as narrow streets and closely built houses prevent their entry. In some instances, water has been supplied to residential areas for only a few hours, insufficient to fill storage tanks, especially given that tanks are located on rooftops and require significant pumping pressure and extended operational hours to ensure residents receive adequate service. Residents have accused the Houthi-controlled water corporation management in Ibb of orchestrating the crisis and deliberately ignoring their repeated pleas. They have also reported a sharp increase in the cost of water purchased from private wells via water tankers, which is prohibitively expensive. Adding to the distress, residents in the old city of Ibb have reported that public water supplies have become contaminated with sewage. They hold the water corporation fully responsible, citing instances where residents of Al-Jabbana Al-Sufla and Al-Wusta neighborhoods discovered sewage mixed with the water delivered to their homes. The domestic water supply from the corporation is now reportedly polluted, emitting foul odors and posing a significant public health risk that requires urgent intervention. Residents are calling for an immediate investigation, accountability for those involved, the cessation of contaminated water distribution, and swift repairs to the system. They have threatened further escalation if their demands are ignored. |
