| Yemen is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, but its capital Sana'a might just become the first capital in the world to run out of water in about a decade according to analysts. Nature is struggling to reproduce enough water from the ground to satisfy a population of 23 million which is predicted to double in the next two decades. "Right now we are suffering from a crisis, we are struggling to provide water to more than 60 percent of the population of the capital who are not covered by the local infrastructure for water and sanitation. There are a number of reasons, one of which is the difficulty in finding enough sources to supply the amount of water that is required," said Khaled al-Kharbi, a local engineer. Residents complain about the lack of adequate water supply for their daily activities. They also talk of tiring from transporting water from the wells to their homes. Some of these wells are at a depth that requires the use of oil drilling equipment, while others have become useless because of the sinking water table. While some resident remain optimistic about the government's ability to supply the rest of the country with enough water, local water expert, Anwer Sahooly of the German company, GTZ which is responsible for water projects in Yemen, believes officials have yet to realize the gravity of the situation, saying a potential national war could erupt over the resource. He says that certain regulations and restrictions have been passed but ... |
