Water rationing, garbage pile-up raise disease fears in Yemen's besieged Taiz

Renewed fighting between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Houthis since September has cut key supply routes to Taiz, Yemen, disrupting water and sanitation systems serving 3 million people. Families ration water as diesel shortages hobble pumping stations. Garbage piles up along roads, raising fears of disease outbreaks. Cholera cases have tripled since early September, and water production has fallen by 50%.

Renewed fighting between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Houthis since September has cut key supply routes to Taiz, Yemen, severely disrupting water and sanitation systems serving 3 million people. Families have started rationing water as diesel shortages hobble pumping stations and sanitation systems. Mounting piles of garbage along major roads are raising fears of disease outbreaks, including dengue fever and cholera. Cholera cases have tripled since early September from 221 to 683 this month, according to the World Health Organization. Water production in Taiz has fallen by about 50%, according to Save the Children. The cost of a water truck has tripled from about 23,000 Yemeni rials ($14.80) before the latest escalation to about 70,000 rials ($45), according to UNICEF. Aid groups are exploring alternative water sources, including a shallow aquifer west of the city. The article quotes residents, sanitation workers, and aid officials describing the dire conditions, including a resident who said the garbage buildup is "like nothing before." The spread of disease could worsen hunger in Taiz governorate, where UNICEF has identified 52,000 acutely malnourished children so far this year. Road closures have halted UNICEF's deliveries of therapeutic food for severely malnourished children.