Yemen’s Water Minister blamed the international organizations
Yemeni Water and Environment Minister, Tawfeeq Al-Sharjabi, accused international organizations of choosing the establishment of headquarters in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, in order to cause disorder in humanitarian relief programs.
Sharbaji stated that the decision to be based in Sanaa has strained the grip international agencies have over the distribution of aid, particularly in areas liberated from Houthis.
The minister also said during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that the Water and Environment Ministry is reviewing and assessing work done by those organizations. He also affirmed the necessity for modifying the work of relief groups in Yemen, stressing that the country lived in the war for a long time, is suffering from a lack of 1.5 billion cubic meters in water provisions with more than half of the population suffering from poor water security.
The minister alerted against the serious environmental threat that imposed by the rundown oil tanker FSO Safer that is located near to the Yemen’s west coast without any dry-docking or shipyard repairs during three decades, adding that Houthis exploited their control for accessing to Safer to make pressure on the peace efforts. Besides, the Water and Environment Ministry would concentrate on the coming day on rehabilitating infrastructure and state institutions.
Sharbaji also related that this would help in guaranteeing the endurance of providing water and sanitation services, as well as protecting the environment, avoiding state facilities from failing, and reconstructing capacities demolished by war. Indeed, contributors are being advised to offer their backing to public water institutions and facilities.
The Yemeni Water and Environment Minister also said that the government works to continue foreign funding suspended since the Houthi-conducted coup, saying that his ministry works to reactivate strict monitoring to limit the exploitation of water resources and fight the depletion and pollution of groundwater. He also added that the ministry is working on a number of major strategic sanitation and development projects.
There were projects in the cities of Seiyun, Tarim and Aden, which actually financed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
