Chapter
9:
Case
studies
in
Ta’izz
9.6.3
Case
12
-‐
The
Habir
case
Conflict
surrounding
urban
water
sourcing
with
rural
areas.
In
1992
villagers
in
Habir
discovered
that
their
area
had
been
proposed
as
the
next
source
of
water
for
Ta’izz
city.
They
had
seen
the
impact
of
water
transfer
on
the
neighboring
valley
of
Al
Hayma
so
determined
to
resist.
For
three
years,
they
succeeded
in
postponing
the
project.
When
the
rigs
finally
arrived
in
April
1995,
the
Habir
villagers
drove
the
drillers
off
the
site
by
using
petrol
torches.
Their
sheikhs
were
imprisoned.
Eventually,
a
“compensation”
package
was
agreed
upon,
so
the
villagers
allowed
the
drillers
in.
However,
within
a
short
period
of
time
another
farmer’s
shallow-‐well
dried
up.
When
he
was
refused
permission
to
dig
a
new,
deeper
well,
the
villagers
again
stopped
the
drilling
for
Ta’izz.
When
the
army
arrived,
the
women
and
children
threw
stones
and
tried
to
disarm
the
soldiers.
The
soldiers
fired,
and
two
women
were
seriously
injured.
Eventually,
the
wells
were
drilled,
but
with
a
legacy
of
distrust
and
anger
that
persists
to
this
day
(World
Bank,
1996)
9.6.4
Case
13
-‐
Mokbel
versus
Owen
A
well-‐owner
named
Hassan
Mokbel
and
his
son
transfered
their
well
water
to
another
well-‐owner
near
Al-‐
Horor
area
for
the
purpose
of
selling
the
water
to
the
people
of
Alhoror,
thus
violating
the
agreement
of
non-‐
transfer
of
water
from
one
location
to
another
for
the
purpose
of
selling.
Another
citizen,
Abdul
Razaq
Owen,
brought
this
case
to
the
authority,
which
has
since
cea 6V@