''It is crucial that we put an immediate end to the war and prioritize environmental rehabilitation as an integral part of peace-making initiatives''
Sahar Muhamed, Arab Reform Initiative
For a recent publication for the Arab Reform Initiative, Sahar Muhamed, a journalist and Yemeni Researcher, delved into Yemen's environmental crisis. In her paper, she discusses a wide range of interacting consequences of the war.
After more than eight years of war, the Yemeni population face a severe humanitarian crisis. The conflict continues to escalate and has claimed many lives. The effects of the war, which started in 2014, go far beyond direct casualties from armed violence. Yemen, a country already suffering from extreme poverty, is plagued by a wide range of environmental issues that intensify its ongoing insecurity.
The environmental consequences of the conflict are extensive and have a cascading effect. The situation in Yemen demonstrates how public health and the environmental effects of war are deeply connected. The war has limited the population's access to water and sanitation services. Water facilities in Yemen were subject to blockades or even destroyed. In order to survive, the Yemeni people resort to other methods of acquiring and storing water. Some catch rainwater and store it for later use, often in contaminated or exposed plastic containers. The pollution of this water has caused a surge of diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. And it wasn't just drinking water affected: even crops are contaminated by the water with which they are irrigated.
In addition, other factors, such as (land)mines and explosives, crippled waste management and oil pollution threaten public health and security.
Muhamed highlights the diverse and disastrous environmental consequences of the conflict, and provides policy recommendations for reducing environmental degradation in Yemen. With regard to (clean) water shortages, she recommends the expansion and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure, in order to ensure access to clean water.
Further policy recommendations include:
- The conduct of a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact of the war and its remnants on the ecosystem
- Increased support for mine clearance programs
- The reconstruction, operation and expansion of waste disposal sites, while carefully considering their location to ensure they are away from residential areas and water resources.
To provide safety and stability for the Yemeni people, the environmental and ecological damage of the conflict must be addressed: ''The environment in Yemen has faced numerous threats and risks, stemming from the impacts of war, conflicts over resources, and the unsustainable economic practices that have led to its degradation,'' Muhamed writes. She argues that an immediate end of the war is necessary, and environmental rehabilitation must be taken into account in peace-building efforts. Both human lives and valuable natural resources are at stake.
Read the full article written by Sahar Mohammed for the Arab Reform Initiative here. The Arab Reform Initiative is an independent think tank working in the Middle East and North Africa.