Water Runs Short in Yemen's Taiz as Houthi Siege Tightens

Drinking water has been hard to come by in the Yemeni city of Taiz for more than ten years, but aid groups say the problem has reached crisis levels in recent weeks. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have besieged the country's third-largest city as their conflict with government forces escalates.

Humanitarian organizations say the needs of Taiz's more than 1 million residents are now barely being met. Access to wells is restricted, desalination plants are short on fuel, and water trucks are largely blocked from entering the city.

Families are stretching every drop. Hadil al-Shahid and her two young children once used about 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of bottled water a day for drinking and cooking. They now make that same amount last about four days. "We stopped drinking coffee and tea, which we used to drink daily," she said by phone. Bottled water costs as much as 75% more than it did a few weeks ago, and some households have started buying it on credit.

The siege is squeezing far more than water. Grocery shortages have driven food prices up, and scarce fuel makes it harder to keep hospitals and sanitation services running, adding to public health risks. Amnesty International has urged the Houthis to open roads into the city immediately, warning that Taiz is being pushed to "the brink of a severe humanitarian disaster."

Yemen fell into civil war in 2014, when the Houthis took much of the north, including the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Taiz has been a focal point of the fighting since. Damage to its aging water infrastructure, together with population growth and frequent droughts, had already depleted groundwater. Residents turned to water delivered by truck, a mostly dependable option until recently.

By August, Yemen had become a widening front in the Iran war. The Houthis stepped up their advance on Taiz last month after swiftly capturing the port city of Mokha, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away, which is vital to controlling Red Sea shipping. As the rebels took more land and roads around Taiz, residents lost access to nearby wells and outside deliveries fell. Truckers who still make the dangerous trip have in some cases tripled their rates, while the water utility and desalination plants operate well below capacity as fuel runs down.

Taiz province has absorbed roughly half of the people displaced elsewhere in Yemen since August, an estimated 124,000, according to United Nations migration experts. Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for a UN emergency aid division, said some displaced families live in makeshift shelters or tents and survive on one meal a day. Cooking gas prices have more than quadrupled, according to Hani Bafaqih of the aid group CARE, and some families burn wood, charcoal or cardboard. Fuel shortages have also hampered community kitchens and shut down waste collection. "The shortages feed into each other," Laerke said, warning that disease, including cholera, becomes more likely, especially as thirsty families use unprotected wells. Flour and rice cost about 50% more than in the summer.

Ahmed Abdel Gaber, displaced with nine relatives and sheltering in the ruins of a building, said his income from hauling construction material is no longer steady. "We heavily rely on assistance and donations from people to get food," he said. Al-Shahid, who owns a hair salon, had to close it as customers put food and water first. Her 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son now eat mostly rice, bread and cheese.

The government still holds the center of Taiz, but the siege complicates resupplying its forces, who face stiff resistance in the surrounding hills, especially east of the city. Analysts say controlling Taiz is key if the Houthis want to push south toward Aden and Lahj. Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group said any attempt to seize even parts of the city would likely mean "a prolonged and costly battle." Three Houthi officials, speaking anonymously, said the group controls about 80% of the surrounding countryside and several neighborhoods inside the city, claims The Associated Press could not verify. Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba has acknowledged the rebels' tightening grip.

Civilians are in danger. Earlier this week, Houthi missiles hit a residential area in Taiz and killed two teenage girls. Abdel Gaber said he hears explosions daily from fighting about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, and his family will not return to their mountain village for safety reasons. Al-Shahid cannot afford to leave. "Staying in our home is inevitable," she said, "whether it be a matter of life or death."