Water crisis deepens in Yemen’s besieged Taiz

More than one million residents face worsening shortages of drinking water, food and fuel as fighting cuts off supplies and raises the risk of disease.

A worsening water crisis is threatening more than one million people in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, as Houthi forces tighten their siege and restrict access to wells and supply routes. Humanitarian groups say residents are struggling to meet basic needs as fuel shortages constrain desalination plants and water utilities, while delivery trucks face increasing difficulties entering the city. According to the Associated Press, some families are paying up to 75% more for bottled water than they did just weeks ago.

The shortage is forcing households to ration drinking water and cut spending on other essentials. Hadil al-Shahid, a local salon owner, told the AP that her family’s daily supply of about 10 litres of bottled water, previously used for drinking and cooking, now has to last four days. Her business has also closed as customers prioritise food and water. Meanwhile, flour and rice prices are around 50% higher than over the summer, according to aid groups, while cooking gas has become more than four times as expensive, the report said.

The crisis is compounded by displacement, fuel scarcity and deteriorating sanitation. United Nations migration experts estimate that Taiz province has received about 124,000 displaced people since August, roughly half of those displaced from other parts of Yemen by the fighting. Fuel shortages have disrupted waste collection and made it harder to operate water pumps and hospital generators. Aid officials warn that reduced access to clean water and accumulating waste are increasing the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases, particularly as some families turn to unprotected wells.

Taiz remains strategically important because it connects areas of northern Yemen with routes towards the south, including Aden and Lahj. Government forces continue to hold the city centre, while Houthi fighters have strengthened their position in surrounding areas. Three Houthi officials claimed the group controls about 80% of the countryside around Taiz and several neighbourhoods inside the city; the AP said it could not independently verify those figures. Amnesty International has called for roads into the city to be reopened, warning that the population is approaching a severe humanitarian disaster. The immediate priority is restoring safe access to water, fuel, food and medical services for civilians caught in the conflict.

Sources: Associated Press: Drinking water supplies dwindle in Yemen’s besieged Taiz, Al Jazeera: Hospital in Yemen’s Taiz warns of collapse in days because of Houthi siege, The Guardian: Besieged Yemeni city on verge of ‘unmanageable’ crisis, aid workers warn, Reuters via Al-Monitor: Water rationing and rubbish pile-up raise disease fears in Taiz, Reuters: Why is the battle for Yemen’s Taiz so important?.