The average fertility rate in Yemen is 6.67 children born per woman.
The average size of a family in Yemen is 7.4 members with approximately 3.1 members sharing one room(1).
The number of people on the brink of famine in Yemen is 8.4 million people wholly dependent on food aid to survive(4). In August of 2017, WFP reached out to nearly seven million people with monthly food assistance as well as specialized nutrition supplements to treat and prevent malnourishment among women and children in Yemen(4). Basic education programs in Yemen last for 9 years, and higher Secondary education for another 3 years for families that can spare the time(5). “Since armed conflict erupted on 19 March, Yemen’s already fragile health system has come under enormous strain,” according to “WHO”(6).The emergency health-care needs of Yemen’s population have now become so extreme that health workers are struggling to provide essential health care to its citizens(6).The GDP per capita in Yemen averaged 1091.82 USD from 1990 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 1309.
20 USD in 2010 and a record low of 679.70 USD in 2016(2). Saudi Arabia imposed a near-total blockade on Yemen, making it impossible for food, water and fuel to pass through(7). And as I have already stated, most of Yemen is entirely reliant on food assistance(7).Long-term challenges of water scarcity include a high population growth rate, high unemployment, and of course declining water resources.
Not to mention the challenges such as severe food scarcity imposed by Saudi Arabia’s blockade on Yemen(3).Because of the lack of water in Yemen, most self-providing families barely have enough water for themselves, and can’t spare any on there crops(8). This also means commercial farmers will not be able to grow crops, and therefore they will not generate income for their family or themselves(8).The scarcity of water is ever growing and getting more extreme each day. Everybody, including women, men, and children, is affected equally bad from the lack of good, drinkable freshwater.According to first hand experience from many global outreach programs and organizations, the scarcity of drinkable freshwater water worsens each day; “As a hot country, Yemen has always experienced water troubles to some extent, but theproblem has worsened due to an increasing population and poor water management; instead of collecting and storing rainwater, drilling for limited groundwater has become the norm,” says The Guardian(9).
By improving the quality and the amount of Yemen’s water, it will prove to also be exceptionally beneficial to the quality and amount of everyday household crops. It will also put many commercial and large-scale farming operations back in business, which in turn will boost the economy.Other major issues like overpopulation will most likely make the issue of water scarcity in Yemen even more difficult for families to overcome in the future years.
Based on my research, I recommend that the government invests more into filtering seawater and drilling for groundwater. In order for these things to work and go through, the Yemeni government also needs to create more guidelines and regulations on storing and managing water.
