Water supplies dwindle in Yemeni city under Houthi siege

Taiz, a city in southwestern Yemen, is experiencing a severe water crisis as Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, tighten their encirclement, according to reports from northernpublicradio.org, kvpr.org, and wmuk.org. The city has struggled with water issues for over a decade, but the situation has significantly worsened in recent weeks.

Humanitarian groups report that the needs of Taiz's more than 1 million residents are barely being met. Access to wells is limited, desalination plants are running low on fuel, and water delivery trucks are mostly prevented from entering the city. Families are rationing water carefully.

Before the siege, a typical family used about 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of bottled water daily for drinking and cooking, but now they stretch that amount to last about four days. The price of bottled water has increased by as much as 75%, and some families have started buying water on credit.

The siege also affects food and fuel supplies, with shortages causing soaring grocery prices and making it difficult to maintain essential services such as hospitals and sanitation. Amnesty International has urged the Houthis to open roads into Taiz, warning the city is nearing a severe humanitarian disaster.

The conflict in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized much of the north, including the capital, and pushed the internationally recognized government into exile. Taiz has been a focal point of fighting since then. Damage to the city's aging water infrastructure, population growth, and frequent droughts have all contributed to shrinking groundwater supplies.

Residents had relied on water delivered by trucks as a mostly reliable alternative until recently. The Houthis intensified their advance on Taiz last month after capturing the port city of Mokha, escalating the siege and worsening the humanitarian situation.