Barran Press
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued a warning on Monday, August 12, 2024, of severe floods in Yemen over the next 10 days, potentially causing significant damage to crops and infrastructure.
The warning was issued in the FAO's early warning and agricultural weather bulletin, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
The UN bulletin stated that Yemen faces "risks of severe floods over the next ten days in the governorates of Ibb and Dhamar (central), Sana'a and Amran (north), and Hodeidah and Hajjah (west)."
It added that "the central highlands and southern highlands of Yemen face a high risk of extended flooding during the same period."
The bulletin predicted that heavy rains and accompanying floods would cause severe damage to crops.
The FAO warned that "fragile housing conditions are at risk of destruction, potentially leading to casualties, and inadequate sanitation systems in urban areas could collapse, resulting in infrastructure damage, transportation disruptions, and communication network failures."
Since the beginning of the month, heavy rainfall has increased in several Yemeni governorates, causing floods and flash floods that have resulted in 57 deaths, according to UN and government reports, as well as significant material losses.
Yemen suffers from severely weak infrastructure, exacerbating the impact of floods and adding to the misery of the population, who are already struggling with fragile essential services due to the ongoing war in the country for the ninth consecutive year.