Chapter
9:
Case
studies
in
Ta’izz
9.1
A:
Context
and
contextual
changes
Ta'izz
is
facing
a
serious
and
complex
water
problem.
Competition
between
urban
and
rural
water
uses
is
ever
present.
Agriculture
continues
to
draw
a
large
amount
of
groundwater
for
irrigation,
urban
population
grows,
industrial
expansion
takes
place
and
total
groundwater
demand
has
increased
sharply
(Van
der
Gun
&
Riaz,
2004).
This
competitive
approach
of
abstraction
by
the
farmers
and
water
supply
agencies
has
already
led
to
rapid
depletion
of
aquifers,
depriving
farmers
of
their
means
of
livelihood
and
has
in
turn
created
an
environment
of
conflict
(Al-‐Shaybani
et
al.,
2005).
The
crisis
in
the
Ta'izz
area
represents
a
case
of
total
water
management
failure.
The
failure
occurred
because
of
the
absence
of
feedback
and
support
processes
between
the
Government
and
the
local
societies
throughout
the
implementation
of
all
water
strategies
adopted
by
the
Government
(Mohieldeen,
1999).
To
understand
the
reason
for
the
conflicts
concerning
water,
an
overall
description
of
the
area
that
includes
the
physical
causes
of
the
water
crisis,
the
main
institutions
and
stakeholders
and
socio-‐economic
situation
of
the
area
is
necessary.
Thereafter,
an
overview
of
the
main
water
conflicts
in
the
past,
the
effects
of
unreliable
water
supply
in
Ta'izz
city
and
some
examples
of
cooperation
will
be
provided.
9.1.1
Physical
profile
The
Ta'izz
region
is
in
the
upper
part
of
Wadi
Rasyan
catchment
in
the
south-‐western
Yemen
Mountains,
it
extends
between
the
latitudes
13º
34'
and
13º
47'
North,
and
the
longitudes
43º
48'
and
44º
12'
East.
(Farag
et
al.,
2013).
The
region
is
located
within
a
low
plateau
that
lies
in
an
east-‐west
faulted
sink
25km
wide.
The
sink
descends
from
1500m
in
the
east
to
less
than
900m
in
the
west
in
a
series
of
step-‐faulted
blocks
of
stratified
volcanics,
which
dip
to
the
east
or
northeast.
The
eastern
edge
of
the
area
is
covered
by
a
flat
loess
covered
plateau,
forming
the
surface-‐water
divide
between
the
Red
Sea
and
the
Indian
Ocean
(UN/DDSMS,
1997).
Water
resources
of
the
region
are
heavily
dependent
on
rainfall,
which
varies
substantially
from
one
sub-‐
area
to
another
within
the
same
catchment.
While
the
mean
annual
precipitation
for
the
whole
area
is
around
568
mm,
the
highlands
receive
a
greater
amount
of
800mm.
The
pattern
of
rainfall
in
the
region
is
bimodal
with
one
peak
occurring
in
April/May
and
the
other
in
August/September.
(Van