The Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment, Tawfiq al-Sharjabi, warned of a possible disaster in the Red Sea because of a possible spill from the Safer oil tanker.
Sharjabi accused the Houthi militias of using the floating tank off the coast of Hodeidah Governorate to blackmail the international community, thus threatening regional and local marine life and the lives of millions of people.
The Minister’s remarks came during the ninth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention, "Water and Peace" held at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Sharjabi explained that the explosion of the tanker loaded with more than 1.1 million barrels of oil could affect 8,523 water points from water wells, polluting them along with many river valleys of at least 500 km.
The Minister reviewed the national plan for implementing the agreement and the challenges facing his country to achieve water security.
He highlighted the importance of protecting civil water infrastructure from being targeted, and working to make water a part of peace and agreements between residents of the same country or between regional countries.
He pointed out that water facilities have been targeted at least 180 times in Yemen, the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Libya since 2011.
The Minister pinpointed the daily suffering of the people displaced and those of host communities in Yemen due to the Houthi coup militia's war and its targeting of water infrastructure, maintenance, and delivery.
“Because of the circumstances, most of the water needs are covered by tanker trucks, the price of which has increased due to war, the rise in fuel prices, and the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. In most cases, this water is not monitored which makes women, girls and children the most affected by these conditions,” said Sharjabi.
The Minister pointed out that the Houthi militia control water resources in the cities with a high population density, such as Taiz, which is already suffering from water scarcity.
The militia does not hesitate to use water as a weapon in its war to pressure the population and blackmail the legitimate government.
The Minister called on the international community to ensure that water, environmental issues, and climate change are prioritized in the global peacebuilding agenda.
He urged a "do no harm" approach when designing and implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene projects to prevent further water wastage in countries that suffer from water crises, such as Yemen and many regional countries.
