Water Scarcity in Yemen

Transcription

1 Sarah Maslo Waukon High School Water Scarcity in Yemen A typical Yemeni subsistence family wakes up at dawn. The eight members of the family slowly trudge out to their fields. The young girls of the family walk long distances to water, fill their heavy containers, and carry them back. Other women begin to fetch fuel so that they can start cooking or go to care for the livestock. The adult women prepare to complete the daily agricultural activities. The men of the family prepare to work on other projects unless it is harvest time. If it is harvest time the men prepare to help the women. After harvest the male head of the family takes the crops to his cooperative to sell them. The women lack access to a cooperative. 84 percent of Yemen s citizens are poverty stricken rural-dwellers. 52 percent of rural households live by subsistence farming growing only enough food for themselves. The family s farm is less than two hectares similar to 70 percent of farms in Yemen. The family s farm is located in the highlands where the most productive agricultural lands are located. The most common crops grown are coffee, papaya, cereals, and qat. Agriculture is seventeen percent of GDP for Yemen. Yemen is located on the southern end of the Arabian plateau. The country has a mountainous interior bordered by coastal plains except for the northern border which contains a desert. 63 percent of farms are in the highlands, however, they cover only 47 percent of the total cultivated area. Combined with the other regions of Yemen, the Tihama, Eastern Plateau, and Coastal Area of the Gulf of Aden, cultivable area is only 1.67 million hectares, only 3.7 percent of 45 million hectares. Seven percent of Yemeni lands can be easily cultivated, however, less than four percent actually are cultivated. Natural resource degradation occurs in Yemen mainly because of water scarcity and climate change. A major barrier preventing the cultivation of more hectares is the lack of water. The highlands face a severe water crisis. Yemen depends on only rainfall and groundwater for water resources because no rivers flow across the country. The highlands are a mountainous region scattered with river valleys or wadis. In the highlands less than 250,000 hectares receive enough rainfall over a long enough period of time to grow crops. Another 750,000 are supplied water through terracing. The challenges facing water resources are: scarcity of water resources, weak enforcement of water related laws and regulations, lack of proper coordination between water related agencies, and wasteful water practices. Groundwater resources are being severely decimated. Water is being withdrawn at three billion cubic meters of water annually but only being replenished with two billion cubic meters each year. Naji Abu Hatim, Senior Rural Development Specialist at The World Bank in Yemen, said, It is estimated that the Sana a water basin will be completely dry in three or four decades. Yemen is currently running a deficit of water. Renewable water resources from rainfall and groundwater are not enough to cover the demand for water. This deficit is supplied by deep aquifers. Groundwater aquifers decline 1-7 meters annually with extremely rare recharge. Two basins in Yemen have already dried up and another basin, the Sana a, is in danger of drying out. Only one basin has an adequate amount of water some ten billion cubic meters. This is the largest amount of stored water in Yemen. The entire country relies on over 45,000 wells which quickly dry up. In the Sana a basin around 13,000 wells were dug in the last three decades resulting in a depleted basin. The depleted water basins raise the price of water. As the ground aquifers decline the expense of pumping increases because the drilling must go deeper. To reach one

2 basin the drillings went to a depth of 800 meters. In areas where the basins have gone dry cultivation has been displaced. Yemen is very poor in terms of water. Yemen s per capita share of recoverable water resources is less than 137 cubic meters, well below the water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters. Other countries in the Middle East and North Africa receive 1,250 cubic meters of water. Worldwide most countries receive 7,500 cubic meters of water. The recommended per person amount of water is 500 cubic meters compared to Yemen s per person amount of water of 137 cubic meters. Many Yemeni can receive only 27 percent of the recommended per person amount of water. Agriculture uses around 90 percent of water resources in Yemen. 45 percent of cultivated area in Yemen is irrigated by rainfall. The other 55 percent is mostly irrigated by groundwater, and is also irrigated with surface water from seasonal floods. Only a small amount is irrigated by springs. Qat trees (also as known as khat) are increasing water scarcity. Qat is a chewable stimulant from the leaves of a tree or shrub. It occupies fifteen percent of cultivated area. Qat trees also use over 40 percent of water consumed in Yemen causing greater strain on water resources. In one area 4,000 wells are used to irrigate qat crops. Increased availability because of increased cultivation of qat has lead to more than decreased water resources. Yemeni males and females now chew more qat. While qat chewing used to only occur once in a while; it now is a daily activity. Over 70 percent of Yemenis between 16 and 50 years have chewed qat at least once. Families spend an estimated seventeen percent of their income on qat. This leads to lack of money for food and other basic supplies. Qat is also the dominant cash crop. Studies show that cultivation of qat produces about YR2.5 million per hectare of income compared to YR0.57 million per hectare for fruits. Farmers choose to cultivate qat over coffee, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Between 1970 and 2,000, cultivated area used for qat increased from approximately 8,000 to 103,000 hectares. If qat cultivation decreased then more usable crops could be grown and less water used. Another key barrier that impedes Yemen from retaining the water it needs is the lack of government control. Right now there are about 800 water well drilling rigs in Yemen. Only 70 rigs are licensed. There are between 52,000 and 55,000 active wells in Yemen. Only 1,000 wells are registered. There are various government organizations that try to control water usage. There is a Ministry of Water and Environment. Under this agency is the National Water Resources Authority which is responsible for water resource planning and monitoring, legislation, and public awareness. This authority only has five branches and needs to be expanded. In the ministry, the Central Corporation is responsible for water supply and sanitation services in cities only. This corporation has been decentralized in some major cities. A different ministry, the Ministry of Local Administration, is responsible for water supply and sanitation in rural areas. Local councils manage and control water resources with the Water Resources Authority. Yet another ministry, the Ministry of Public Works and Urban Planning, is responsible for observing and monitoring the drinking water purification stations. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is responsible for irrigation activities, planning, development, and implementation and monitoring. Those various government ministries fail to work together to protect and enhance Yemen s water resources. Yemen has water resource strategies, policies, and legislations. In 1999 and 2000 the Water

3 Resources Policy and strategy was produced. In 2001 the Irrigation Water Policy was created. In 2000 the Watershed Policy and Agricultural Sector Reform Policy were passed. These policies address the proper management of water resources. However they are not being utilized. Yemen suffers from weak enforcement of water related laws and regulations. The highlands use a traditional terrace system. This system uses rainfall effectively and secures soil to the steep mountainsides. Rainfall run-off is channeled from non-cultivable surfaces to irrigate crops. The terraces are mainly used to grow cereals such as barley, sorghum, and maize. One project in Yemen by the International Development Research Centre aims at improving the traditional terrace structure. The project looked at why terraces are falling into disrepair and how to improve productivity and promote resource conservation. Terraces fall into disrepair because the cost of repair is too high. Also the government subsidizes imported wheat so it is hard to make a profit on repairing terraces to grow wheat. Confusion between landowners and tenants over whose responsibility it is to pay has also led to terraces not being repaired. Crops could be improved if a traditional element of subsistence farming, winter cropping of cereals, occurred. Three approaches to terrace wall stabilization were tested: traditional stone and soil, metal fencing, and shrubs. All of these techniques proved promising but need further monitoring to determine how they withstand age. Cultivated lands are being degraded. Wind and water are eroding the soil. Green cover is being damaged and destroyed. Climatic changes and drought are adversely affecting crops. The terrace system is especially facing this threat; however, other areas are also facing natural resource degradation. The southern and eastern areas and the western plane are facing desertification. Sand dunes are moving over agricultural lands and villages. 97 percent of total land area is facing desertification to some degree. Desertification is mainly caused by extensive woodcutting, overgrazing, and exploitation of water resources. Climate change is a major problem in Yemen. Yemen s dry lands could be severely affected by droughts and high temperatures. Yemen has already experienced a greater frequency of droughts and flash floods. Climate change has also caused desertification and a rise in sea level. Water scarcity increases the adverse effects of climate change. Rain fed agricultural areas, such as the highlands, are the most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. One study suggests that climate change could cause a 50 percent reduction of crop yields for rain based agricultural crops by To adapt to climate change a country must respond and adjust to climate variability and extremes by moderating the potential damages, take advantage of new opportunities, and cope with the consequences of negative effects. A predictive climate model with a scale appropriate for a specific community and a vulnerability profile are needed to adapt. This information can better prepare communities for climate change and help them cope when climate change affects them. Government ministries are also recognizing the importance of adaptation to climate change. The Ministry of Water and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation are both concerned with climate change. Yemen has completed a National Adaptation Plan of Action. Two of its four main priorities are improving community resilience to climate change through the development of sustainable rural livelihoods, and improving agricultural production under erratic rains and changing climatic conditions.

4 Agriculture is the driving force in the highlands. The highlands have agro-biodiversity and traditional knowledge that utilizes their agro-biodiversity resources. The highlands support traditional knowledge that utilizes their agro-biodiversity resources. The highlands support cereals, fruit such as papaya and peaches, and coffee. As explained, the highlands have a highly efficient terrace system. Local knowledge from the highlands could prevent further land degradation and help adapt to climate change. A project proposed by the Government s Rural Development and Agricultural Development Strategies is connected to the World Food Bank financed Rain fed Agricultural and Livestock Project. The project seeks to combine adaptation to climate change with conservation and utilization of agrobiodiversity resources. The project will combine local knowledge with modern farming techniques. The first component of this project is an agro-biodiversity and local knowledge assessment. Field inventories and documentation will capture local farmers information such as preferred crop species. It will also capture their ways of coping with changes in climate. The second component is climate modeling assessment. An assessment of current meteorological data with regards to historical climate data is needed. This with global and regional climate prediction models would improve local vulnerability profiles. Then coping mechanisms could be introduced to farmers. The third component is the development and implementation of coping mechanism options. Some coping mechanisms such as improved terracing, choice of crops and cropping patterns will be implemented to reduce farmers vulnerability to climate change. These mechanisms will be tested against vulnerability profiles. The fourth and last component is enabling key agencies to promote adaptation to climate change, support conservation, and viable use of local agro-biodiversity, including the establishment of government policies and legislations to help achieve this. Women are severely disadvantaged in Yemen. Yemen restricts the abilities of rural women to travel without permission from their husbands or guardians. Yemen inheritance law allows female heirs to inherit half the amount male heirs can inherit limiting their ability to gain land. In some areas controlled by tribal law women cannot inherit land at all. 88 percent of women work in agriculture. There they are commonly not paid for their work. Women organize water allocation and distribution to meet the needs of the house and family. They decide what water is the best for drinking and what can be used for hygiene. They use water for washing food, cleaning, and watering animals. They re-use waste water by irrigating plants and small garden plots with it. Women have little access to government. In the Ministry of Agriculture, there are 12,300 staff but only 1,500 are women. There are 21 directorates but only three are directed by women. Women are not participants in the decision-making groups and councils. In agriculture there are few women-only cooperatives none of which are currently active. Many women are not allowed into mixed gender cooperatives because they lack access to loans, proof of credit and collateral, and lack of mobility. For Yemen to improve its current food availability, the country would need to resolve its water crisis. To improve agricultural productivity more efficient ways of irrigation would have to be implemented. Combining modern farming practices and traditional ways of irrigation would result in increased irrigation efficiency. The traditional terrace system needs to be maintained to transfer rainfall to crops. One of the reasons that terraces fall into disrepair is because the government subsidizes imported wheat making it uneconomical to repair terraces to grow wheat. If the government subsidized crops grown on terraces instead of imported wheat then the terrace system would be better preserved. For

5 agriculture to be sustained in Yemen, its water resources need to be protected. Stronger government enforcement of its policies would help protect water resources. The over 50,000 unlicensed wells in Yemen need to be regulated. If the Ministry of Water and Environment, which is responsible for water resources, would work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, which is responsible for irrigation, then Yemen s water resources would be better protected and its policies better directed. Qat should be replaced by different crops. Qat uses 40 percent of water consumed in Yemen. If this water and land were shifted to other crops such as cereals, agricultural productivity would be increased. The Yemeni government should regulate against qat growing to try and stop farmers from switching land and water resources to qat in search of a profit. If the government made it so growing qat was more expensive than growing other crops, then the growing of qat would decrease. Desertification is being caused by excessive woodcutting, overgrazing, and exploitation of water resources. Farmers should be educated about the effects of these practices and how to implement different ones, then desertification would decrease. Yemeni farmers need to support mechanisms to cope with climate change. The World Bank is helping Yemen to develop strategies for coping with climate change and should continue to help. Women need to be allowed to travel and gain access to farm cooperatives since many of them work in agriculture. They should also be represented in the ministries that control agriculture. Basically, Yemen needs to address the problem of water scarcity through government regulation, finances, and education.

6 Bibliography Al-Ariqi, Amel. Yemeni Rural Women Paralyzed by Law and Tribal Norms Yemen Times July 2009 < Al-Ariqi, Amel. Yemeni Women are the First Victim of Water Crisis, Study Said Yemen Times November 2006 < Al-Asbahi, Qahtan Yehya A.M. Water Resources Information in Yemen National Integrated Water Resources Management Program 22 June 2005 < Al-Ghabiri, Ismail. The Yemeni National Report to the WSSD Yemen Times September 2002 < Al-Omari, Moneer. Yemen's Water Crisis Looms Yemen Post 11 August 2008 < Al-Tashi, Kamal Mohammed Hussein, and Abdul-Habib, Wadie. Focus on Seed Programs The Yemen Seed Industry WANA Seed Network Secretariat, Seed Unit, ICARDA 2001 < Ghaleb, Thuria. Water scarcity: Yemen s worrying reality Yemen Observer 12 February 2008 < Ghanem, Suzan, Jowhara Zindani, and Zinadine Zindani. Qat: The Plague of Yemen Yemen Observer 26 February 2008 < International Development Research Centre. Projects in Yemen < Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Rural Development Strategy May 2003 < Willems, Peter. Population Crisis Looming Yemen Times August 2004 < World Bank. Yemen - Adaptation to Climate Change Using Agrobiodiversity Resources in the Rainfed Highlands of Yemen 23 May 2007 < 679&menuPK= &searchMenuPK= &siteName=WDS&entityID= _ >