Chapter
9:
Case
studies
in
Ta’izz
Chapter
9.
Case
studies
in
Ta’izz
Key
message:
•
The
cases
studied
in
Ta’izz
area
show
water
disputes
happening
due
to
random
well
drilling
and
transfer
of
water
from
one
area
to
another
for
qat
irrigation.
The
cases
studied
indicate
an
alarming
increase
in
disputes
concerning
water
over
the
past
three
years.
Interviewees,
including
conflicting
parties,
overwhelmingly
agreed
that
lack
of
rain
and
the
deterioration
in
government
function,
as
well
as
the
security
situation
over
this
period
have
triggered
the
conflicts.
•
The
conflicts
are
a
manifestation
of
a
series
of
structural
factors
that
reinforce
one
another.
This
includes
population
growth
and
competition
over
increasingly
scarce
water
coupled
with
a
lack
of
informal
and
formal
traditions
to
regulate
water
use.
Poor
government
capacity,
lack
of
coordination
between
central
and
local
government
authorities,
centralization,
ambiguous
laws,
and
lack
of
policies
to
address
water
problems
are
also
key
factors.
•
All
interviewees
agree
that
the
problems
escalated
due
to
the
overconsumption
of
water
to
irrigate
qat
farms.
They
all
agree
that
qat
is
a
major
problem
threatening
water
resource
in
their
area.
In
the
absence
of
clear
regulations
for
water
use,
coupled
with
the
enforcement
of
these
regulations,
disput