One dead in south Yemen protest over water cuts

Mon Aug 24, 2009

ADEN, Yemen, Aug 24 (Reuters) – At least one Yemeni was shot dead and three wounded when protesters clashed with police on Sunday in Aden in southern Yemen where several districts have gone days without water, police and witnesses said.

At least two of the wounded were police, the sources said. South Yemen, formerly an independent state that merged with the north in 1990, has seen months of clashes over complaints of marginalisation by central government based in Sanaa.

Fighting has flared in recent weeks in the north between government forces and Shi’ites of the Zaydi sect. Al Qaeda militants have staged numerous attacks on foreigners and government targets over the past three years.

The various conflicts have alarmed Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, and Western governments who fear the instability could allow al Qaeda to establish a bigger foothold in the impoverished state of some 23 million people. (Reporting by Mohamed al-Mokhashef; Writing by Andrew Hammond; Editing by Louise Ireland)

مقتل متظاهر واصابة ثلاثة آخرين في عدن بجنوب اليمن

www.masrawy.com

8/24/2009

صنعاء (ا ف ب) – قتل متظاهر واصيب ثلاثة آخرون بجروح عندما فرقت الشرطة بالقوة تظاهرة احتجاج ليل الاحد الاثنين في مدينة عدن (جنوب) احتجاجا على انقطاع مياه الشرب، على ما افاد شهود.

وبحسب هذه المصادر فان الشرطة اطلقت النار لتفريق مئات المتظاهرين ما ادى الى مقتل احدهم واصابة ثلاثة آخرين بجروح.

وتظاهر الاهالي في مديرية خور مكسر بمدينة عدن للاحتجاج على استمرار انقطاع مياه الشرب عن معظم أحياء عدن منذ ثلاث أيام في حين اكدت السلطات انها تبذل جهودها لاعادة تزويد السكان بالماء.

وتأتي هذه الاحتجاجات على خلفية تململ بين سكان المناطق الجنوبية من اليمن الذين يرى بعضهم انهم موضع اهمال السلطات المركزية في صنعاء.

وادت بعض التظاهرات التي شهدت دعوات الى انفصال جنوب اليمن الذي كان يشكل دولة مستقلة قبل توحده مع شمال اليمن في 1990، الى صدامات عنيفة خلفت العديد من الضحايا بين المدنيين

Un mort au Yémen dans des manifestations pour de l’eau

ADEN, Yémen, 24 août (Reuters) – Une personne a été tuée et trois autres ont été blessées lors d’affrontements entre des manifestants et la police dimanche à Aden, dans le sud du Yémen, où plusieurs quartiers sont privés d’eau depuis des jours, rapportent la police et des témoins.

Au moins deux des personnes blessées sont des policiers.

Ancien Etat indépendant, le Sud-Yémen a fusionné avec le Nord en 1990 mais s’estime marginalisé par le gouvernement central de Sanaa et est depuis des mois le théâtre de heurts.

Des affrontements se sont produits ces dernières semaines dans le nord du pays entre forces gouvernementales et chiites de la secte Zaydi.

Cette instabilité inquiète l’Arabie saoudite voisine et les puissances occidentales qui redoutent de voir Al Qaïda renforcer sa présence dans ce pays pauvre de 23 millions d’habitants.

(Mohamed al Mokhashef, version française Pierre Sérisier)

Yémen: un manifestant tué et 3 blessés

24/08/2009

Un manifestant a été tué et trois autres ont été blessés lorsque la police a dispersé, par la force, une manifestation dans la nuit d’habitants protestant contre les coupures d’eau à Aden, la grande ville du sud du Yémen, ont rapporté des témoins. Selon ces témoins, la police a tiré pour disperser la manifestation de plusieurs centaines de personnes, tuant une personne et blessant trois autres.

Les habitants manifestaient pour la troisième journée consécutive contre l’interruption de l’approvisionnement en eau de leur quartier de Khor M’kassar alors que les autorités ont indiqué s’employer à le rétablir. Ces manifestations se déroulent sur fond de mécontentement des habitants du sud du pays qui estiment qu’ils sont négligés par le pouvoir central de Sanaa.

Certaines manifestations, avec des appels à la séparation du sud qui formait un Etat indépendant avant l’union avec le nord en 1990, ont donné lieu à des violences qui se sont soldées par plusieurs victimes civiles et militaires.

Aden residents demand access to water

ADEN, Aug, 23 — Hundreds of Aden city residents protested yesterday, demanding relief from the sharp water shortage that has left three districts without water.

Seventy-five percent of the Aden water supply was re-directed to cities of Zunjubar and Ja’ar three months ago because of water crises in those cities. Now, residents of Al-Muala, Khower Makser and Alqlw’a have no running water.

Masses of people from the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj and Abyan rallied last week, demanding water and that corrupt officials be held accountable for their actions.

Security officials met demonstrators with teargas and arrests.

Deputy Director General of the Aden Water Corporation Saeed H. Qassem has warned of what he called “an unusual situation that may deeply harm citizens,” in reference to the water crisis that is devastating the coastal city.

“We have always raised the matter of random well digging,” he said, “but no one would listen and the result is the present situation in Aden.”

“The problem will not be solved unless random digging is stopped,” he told the Yemen Times.

In Aden, the smallest governorate of Yemen, the water supply depends entirely on groundwater. As rainfall in Aden is the lowest in Yemen, according to governmental statistics, and the hot climate quickly evaporates any rain that does fall on its lands, this precious source of water is not recharged at the same rate that it is exploited.

According to Qassem desalination could be solution for the Aden’s water shortage, but it would be expensive for consumers.

Water comes to Aden from three different aquifers: Bir Nasser with 37 wells, Bir Ahmed with 36 wells and Al-Rawa with 15 wells. The need for water has recently jumped in Aden due to the rapid increase in population and industry.

The private unregulated drilling of wells in the locations of water production aquifers is still a challenge for water management.

Qassem added that Aden no longer receives water during daylight hours. The city used to get 1,400 meters squared of water a day, he said.

“The water supply is re-directed between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. to Zunjubar and Ja’ar to meet water shortage there. Aden then receives only 350 meters squared from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.,” he explained.

He said that the corporation has all required financial, technical and human resources, “but the problem is in the water source. »

Qassem made these statements two weeks after inaugurating new water lines for four districts in Aden, which cost YR 1.1 billion. However, locals say they did not notice any improvement.

The water corporation said that the drop in underground water level in all fields has resulted in this suffocating crisis. It attributed the problem to the random wells. Three thousand were dug this year- 50 percent more than last year.

The corporation stated in its 2008 report that the solution requires “a presidential decree” to curb the wrongful waste of water.

The crisis began in 2004 when 19 wells completely dried due to misuse of water and haphazard digging of wells.

“We were shocked,” said Qassem “to find out that Abyan and Bir Nasser fields have dried.

The latter with its 22 wells used to provide Aden with 30 percent of its water needs.”

He expressed doubt about the corporation’s ability to solve the problem. He said that they could meet up to 80 percent of the water needs, provided that unsystematic well digging does not expand to Al-Munasara District field that has been discovered recently and has 15 wells.

“Water and electricity are essential to people’s life and the government should assume its responsibilities concerning this issue,” Qassem said.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 24 août 2009.

Publié dans émeutes, riots, الشغب