Which Water Sources Do People Revert to in Times of War? Evidence from the Sana’a Basin, Yemen

Current war in Yemen affects the lives of Yemenis, their properties, and basic needs through several impacts and damages on fuel, electricity, and water systems. This paper investigates how this war has affected the people’s main water sources. The war impact framework developed in this study is the combination of difference-in-difference (DID) and Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) framework, as so far there are no tools to gage the impact of wars on people’s choices of water sources. The availability, accessibility, and prices of water keep unstable. Decentralized systems of water and energy showed more stability than public-centralized systems. The majority of families relied on the public water and electricity systems before the war. Now, while the war is ongoing the public water networks and electricity grids serve not more than 10% of families. Solar energy has become the first energy source. Rainwater started to be collected as secondary water source. Getting water and energy through renewable sources is accepted and supported by locals. Many people are willing to continue using these new sources. This study verifies the importance of renewable resources transition to achieve secure sustainable water management. Article Highlights The current war in Yemen affects water sources; in terms of water availability, accessibility, quality, affordability, and accessibility. Decentralized community-based systems showed more resilience than public-centralized systems. People go back to use renewable source of rainwater harvesting. People expressed their willingness to continue using sustainable sources of rainwater and solar energy.