Houthis deny the people of Taiz access to water
As the attacks and documented violations by the group continue against the population, the organization “Human Rights Watch” accused the Houthi rebels of preventing civilians in Taiz, Yemen, from accessing water, just as they violated the rights of the people to life and health over the past 8 years.
The organization, in a report titled “Death is Kinder than This Life,” stated that the conflict parties in Yemen have significantly contributed to exacerbating the water crisis in the Taiz governorate. The Houthi group has blocked access to water since imposing a siege on the city in 2015. According to the organization, the Houthis have used water as a weapon by preventing its flow to the residents of Taiz over the past 8 years, making it almost impossible for them to obtain clean water at reasonable prices.
The organization emphasized that water should not be used as a weapon of war, and both the Houthi group and other parties should take immediate measures to allow more water to enter the public network to supply civilians with sufficient quantities.
The organization’s researcher, Niku Jafarnia, stated that Yemeni parties should take immediate actions to allow the local water and sanitation institution in Taiz, as well as non-governmental organizations, to access water infrastructure on the front lines of the conflict and in areas controlled by the Houthis for repair and reactivation.
According to Human Rights Watch, the percentage of people obtaining safe and sufficient drinking water in Taiz has decreased during the war, as it has been on the front lines for a long time.
The organization mentioned that 4 out of 5 water basins in Taiz are under the control of the Houthi group or on the front lines of the conflict, making it impossible for the Taiz Water Authority to access them, while the majority of Taiz residents live in areas controlled by the Yemeni government.
It also pointed out that many water sources and facilities that Taiz residents previously relied on are now inoperable due to war damage, salinity problems, or continuous power outages due to a fuel shortage that causes water pumps to stop working.
In this context, the “Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights,” a non-governmental human rights organization, documented more than 62 violations against the residents of Taiz governorate last September.
These violations, according to the center, add to another series of violations against civilians in the Taiz governorate during the first half of this year, where armed group members killed about 20 civilians, including 3 women and 7 children, and injured about 52 civilians, including 5 women and 16 children.
Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, and for decades, local civil society groups, international humanitarian organizations, and human rights organizations have warned of the water crisis in Yemen.
