The Issue: The Challenge We Face

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene remains one of the most urgent life-saving needs for millions of people across Yemen. Prolonged conflict, economic collapse, and climate-related shocks have severely weakened WASH systems, leaving vulnerable communities—particularly displaced populations, women, and children—at heightened risk.

Across affected areas, households face daily challenges in accessing sufficient and safe water for drinking and basic hygiene. Children, especially girls, are disproportionately impacted, often spending long hours collecting water from unsafe and distant sources, exposing them to protection risks and disrupting access to education. These conditions reinforce negative coping mechanisms and perpetuate cycles of vulnerability.

Yemen’s WASH infrastructure is critically damaged, under-maintained, and unable to meet growing humanitarian needs. Recurrent flooding, drought, and water scarcity continue to disrupt water supply systems and contaminate existing sources. An estimated 17 million people lack adequate access to safe water, while over 40 per cent of internally displaced persons (IDP) sites lack basic sanitation facilities, resulting in widespread open defecation and increased risks of waterborne diseases and protection concerns, particularly for women and girls.

Insufficient access to safe WASH services is a key driver of disease outbreaks and contributes directly to malnutrition, especially among children in conflict-affected, flood-prone, and hard-to-reach areas. Climate change further compounds these challenges, with nearly half of the population exposed to extreme climate hazards, including drought and heat stress, intensifying water scarcity and undermining community resilience.

Emergency WASH interventions remain critical to saving lives, preventing disease, and restoring dignity, while strengthening community-based systems to withstand ongoing shocks and future climate impacts.