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Review of Yemen's Control of Groundwater Extraction Regime: Situation and Options

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Earth and Environmental science, Sana’a University, Sana’a, P.O. Box 13743, Sana’a, YEMEN
  • 2 Yemen Gas Company, Sana’s, YEMEN

Int. Res. J. Earth Sci., Volume 2, Issue (3), Pages 7-16, April,25 (2014)

Abstract

Depletion of groundwater resources has become a major concern in many parts of Yemen today. The competitive overdrawing of groundwater is compounded by the lack of governance and institutions. Under current lawless conditions, better off farmers have captured larger share of groundwater through uncontrolled deep well drilling, which had lead to both shallow groundwater and springs available to poorer farmers to be depleted or exhausted. Although groundwater use is driving rural growth, groundwater mining is not only unsustainable, it is also inequitable. Understanding interest and influential power between various stakeholders thus become critical to the task of interpreting resistance to change in ground water control policy/implementation. Each specific measure of controlling groundwater extraction tends to raise its own problems. Applying single measure alone cannot resolve the problem and other forms of interventions are also necessary. There are some high impact actions that can be started now, including intensive user involvement and organization, self-regulation by water user associations, monitoring and information sharing, tradable water rights, and improving incomes through technological improvements. Thus, the next phase of control extraction of groundwater will require mobilizing government commitment around this agenda, working on the governance system at the local level, and piloting high impact actions.

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