Yemen’s government and Houthis strike rare water deal
Shafaq News – Sanaa
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi (Ansarallah) Movement have reached a rare agreement to jointly manage water infrastructure in Taiz, marking the first such cooperation between the two sides in nearly a decade.
The technical deal was signed between the Water and Sanitation Corporation in government-held Taiz city and Houthi authorities in the al-Hawban district, which controls key water sources. The arrangement will allow for the reactivation of wells and water fields inside Houthi territory that once supplied most of the city’s needs before the conflict.
The United Nations welcomed the agreement as a “major step” toward restoring essential services in a region heavily affected by water scarcity, adding that the pact would reconnect disrupted water and sewage systems that have been inactive since the war began and institutional divisions deepened.
UN officials confirmed the agreement followed years of dialogue facilitated by donor countries and humanitarian organizations. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund will contribute $2M to reconnect an estimated 90,000 people, including internally displaced families, to the public water grid.
The UN also urged donors and private sector partners to scale up investment in water infrastructure, warning that over 600,000 people in Taiz remain in urgent need of safe water access and reliable sanitation.
Water shortages in Taiz have worsened since Houthi forces seized control of major supply points and cut off flow to government-held areas. The crisis has deepened amid rising water tanker prices and limited availability.
Yemen ranks among the world’s most water-scarce nations, with roughly 40% of its population lacking access to clean water, particularly in remote and rural areas.
