Washington, D.C, 19 August 2022 (TDI): According to the World Bank Middle East & North Africa, it is assisting the cities of Yemen in restoring urban infrastructure services and increasing climate change resilience.
A new @WorldBankMENA project is helping Yemeni cities restore urban infrastructure services and increase resilience to climate change. Nearly 3 million people stand to benefit. Learn more: https://t.co/KqVfokuxLL pic.twitter.com/sa8NGWV3oN
— World Bank (@WorldBank) August 19, 2022
The Yemen conflict has now lasted seven years. Water shortages, flood damage, and limited government capacity have left two-thirds of the population without access to safe water, sanitation, and other essential services.
These are inducing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by extreme poverty, food and water scarcity, a cholera outbreak, and disrupted healthcare services.
According to the statistics, the heat island effects in urban areas might exacerbate by the projected increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme temperatures. Meanwhile, Yemeni cities are struggling to provide even the most basic of services.
Disadvantaged communities are more likely to live in areas prone to climate extremes and a lack of services, and thus suffer disproportionately.
Work of World Bank in Urban Services
The World Bank has been working a lot on improving urban services. In addition, between 2017 and 2020, the World Bank’s Yemen Integrated Urban Services Emergency Project (YIUSEP) provided emergency services to ten Yemeni cities.
Moreover, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a second phase, YIUSEP II, was launched in June 2021.
In addition, the project’s second phase assists the country in meeting emergency needs by restoring urban infrastructure services. It also works in increasing resilience to climate change in the 16 cities chosen for the project.
According to the data from World Bank some cities, such as Sana’a, are particularly vulnerable due to their dense population and architectural heritage. Yemen’s coastal cities are already under the effect of rising sea levels and storm surges.
Yemeni Employment by World Bank
Further, Emily Owen Urban development specialist adds that the Yeman needs a lot of work to be done in the urban sector infrastructure. It needs to create more employment opportunities to become resilient against flooding and flash flooding.
Additionally, the World Bank is now employing Yemeni local consultants and experts. These people conduct field surveys and engage directly with local communities and stakeholders in several cities across the country. It will help in the identification of climate-related issues and help in prioritizing and designing the intervention.
