Yemen’s near-decade-long conflict has placed even more stress on a country already vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Even before a major escalation in conflict 9 years ago, Yemen was one of the world’s most severely water-stressed countries. Recurrent droughts and climate change led to water scarcity which has only worsened in recent years.
In 2022, Yemen experienced 2 successive extreme weather events as severe drought was replaced by heavy rainfall and flooding during the wettest 6 months the country had seen in 40 years.
Many farmers lost the year’s first planting season, while the United Nations reported that one-third of households had lost some arable land. As Yemen teeters on the brink of famine, any such disruptions to the food supply are of grave concern. The flooding also damaged already-strained infrastructure, including roads and water and sewage systems, increasing the threat of waterborne diseases.
Displaced by disaster
“Heavy rains damaged my house. For the time being, I am living with my family under a tree,” Mohammed, from Hodeidah says. “I [can] barely feed my family [enough] to survive, let alone build a house. I have no job, nor a source of income to sustain my family. I am struggling to make ends meet.”
Mohammed’s story of being uprooted from his home is sadly not unique. Yemen faces the sixth largest internal displacement crisis in the world, with 4.5 million people internally displaced since 2015. Many have been displaced for over a year and have been forced to move more than once.
The flooding has only made the situation more desperate, leaving 160,000 people without homes, mostly in the western Hajjah and Al Hodeidah governates. According to the United Nations, Yemen saw the number of displacements caused by natural hazards and disasters double in 2022.
The elements continue to threaten Mohammed and his family: “We have no house. Our house is a shanty hut made from mud. If it rains heavily during the daytime, we must move to our neighbor’s house, but if it rains heavily at night, we will definitely die as my house is made of mud, wood, and straw pieces.”
Islamic Relief in Yemen
Islamic Relief has been working in Yemen since 1998. During more than 25 years of delivering aid, the organization has adapted the projects and programs to meet changing realities, including climate.
IRW runs cash-for-work programs to help communities earn a living and adapt to the negative effects of climate change through repairing, rehabilitating, and building to protect against climate-related shocks.
A significant project the organization runs uses solar energy to pump water. While giving people safe access to water for irrigation, drinking, and sanitation, it is also a very climate-conscious system that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based pumps.
“We were forced to drink unprotected and contaminated water from the same sources our animals used to drink due to a lack of clean drinking water.” Saleh* told us. Saleh is based in Swiar district of Amran Governorate, where drought is having a significant effect on the local populace. Many women and children are being deprived of an education as they spend most of their days traveling long distances to collect safe drinking water.
“Islamic Relief installed a solar water pump system and constructed a water tank near my house. Alhamdulillah, now I just need to walk 10 minutes to get clean and safe drinking water.”
The solar water pumping system can also improve the livelihoods of rural communities and help ensure they have enough food to eat. It also offers a buffer against the increased frequency of disasters caused by climate change. Climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity. And more often than not, it’s the most vulnerable among the people who feel its effects most severely.
