Two Dead After Yemenis Clash Over Water Rights

May 17th, 2010

Two people died in a southern Yemeni village where the military intervened to end a dispute over water rights, underscoring tensions sparked by a looming water crisis in the Arabian peninsular state.

“This province suffers from a severe water crisis. Our ground (water) wells are almost depleted.”

Some experts say Sanaa could be the world’s first capital city to run dry because of a chronic shortage of ground water.

The country’s 21 ground water wells are already failing to meet demand from its 23 million-strong population, which is expected to double in the next 20 years. The problem is particularly acute in cities like Taiz and Sanaa.

For Yemenis, water scarcity is quickly becoming a source of violent clashes. Some analysts even suggest “water refugees” may someday flee to neighboring Gulf countries and Europe.

Source: Two Dead After Yemenis Clash Over Water Rights – Planet Ark – Reuters

Date: 17 May 2010

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Human EffectsHuman Effects

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  • C Robson

    While the Earth has always endured natural climate change variability, we are now facing the possibility of irreversible climate change in the near future. The increase of greenhouse gases in the Earth?s atmosphere from industrial processes has enhanced the natural greenhouse effect. This in turn has accentuated the greenhouse ?trap? effect, causing greenhouse gases to form a blanket around the Earth, inhibiting the sun?s heat from leaving the outer atmosphere. This increase of greenhouse gases is causing an additional warming of the Earth?s surface and atmosphere. A direct consequence of this is sea-level rise expansion, which is primarily due to the thermal expansion of oceans (water expands when heated), inducing the melting of ice sheets as global surface temperature increases.
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     Rosemary Rayfuse from the University of New South Wales argued that “a solution to the ‘disappearing state’ dilemma is suggested through adoption of a positive rule freezing baselines and through recognition of the category of ‘deterritorialised state’. It is concluded that the articulation of new rules of international law may be needed to provide stability, certainty and a future to disappearing states”.