Key facts
- Drinking water supplies have reached crisis levels in Taiz, Yemen.
- Over 1 million residents are affected by the water shortage.
- Houthi rebels have besieged the city, limiting access to wells and water trucks.
- Desalination plants are running low on fuel.
- Families are rationing water and paying significantly higher prices for it.
- Hospitals are struggling with shortages of medicines and fuel.
Drinking water supplies have reached crisis levels in Taiz, Yemen, a city of over 1 million residents that has faced scarcity for over a decade. The escalating conflict and siege by Iran-backed Houthi rebels have severely limited access to wells and prevented water delivery trucks from entering the city. Desalination plants are running low on fuel, forcing families to ration water and pay significantly higher prices. Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam, warn that the situation is becoming unmanageable, with hospitals struggling due to shortages of medicines and fuel. The conflict intensified after government forces and the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on the Houthi-held airport in Sana'a in July, breaking a 2022 ceasefire deal. Amnesty International has called on the Houthis to open roads into Taiz, which is being pushed to the brink of a humanitarian disaster.