Drinking water supplies in Taiz have reached crisis levels after Houthi forces tightened their encirclement of the Yemeni city, restricting access to wells and preventing many water trucks from entering, The Associated Press reports.
Humanitarian groups told the AP that Taiz’s more than 1 million residents are barely receiving enough water. Desalination plants are operating below capacity as fuel supplies dwindle, while truckers who can still reach the city have in some cases tripled their rates. Families are rationing bottled water: one household reported stretching about 10 liters used for drinking and cooking from one day to four days.
The disruption extends beyond household supplies. The AP reports that fuel shortages are hindering water pumps, hospital generators and waste collection. Aid officials warned that people turning to unprotected wells, combined with accumulating waste, is raising the risk of waterborne disease, including cholera. Bottled-water prices have risen by as much as 75% in a few weeks, according to the report.
The deterioration follows the closure or restriction of routes into the city. In reporting published October 16, Reuters described Houthi forces cutting the main road south to Aden and residents facing shortages of food and water. Reuters also reported that the World Health Organization said 12 hospitals had about four days of fuel, with road closures blocking resupply. That Reuters report did not independently verify some residents’ accounts of injuries and displacement.
Amnesty International has called for roads into Taiz to be opened, according to the AP. The AP also reported that Taiz province has received roughly 124,000 people displaced by the latest fighting, adding pressure to already limited water and fuel supplies. The available reporting does not identify a confirmed timetable for restoring regular water deliveries or reopening the routes.