epa11233193 People collect clean water from a donated tank using hoses amid a severe water shortage in Sana'a, Yemen, 20 March 2024 (issued 21 March 2024). Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, but nine years of war and fuel price hikes have inflicted severe damages on water pumping stations and the local water pipe network, exacerbating the arid country’s water crisis, officials of the national water corporation said. Some neighborhoods connected to the Sana'a water network receive water once or twice a month, leaving more residents struggling to access clean water. Of a number of local and international charities and NGOs, the Mona Relief Agency has erected 11 water storage tanks across two neighborhoods of Sana'a to provide almost 171,000 liters of free clean water three times a week to over 17,000 people, predominantly war-displaced. Obtaining drinking water is a family chore across the war-ravaged Arab country, with the responsibility almost falling on women and children to fetch water. The United Nations has reported that 20.4 million out of Yemen’s 30 million-population don't have access to a sufficient quantity of water to cover basic daily needs, including drinking, bathing and cooking. World Water Day will be marked on 22 March. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET
