Human Wrongs Watch
By IRIN*, Sana’a – Under a staircase, clinging to a wall of Sana’a’s Grand Mosque, groups of women and children lug plastic canisters to the leaky spigots of a public fountain. Some small children struggle with canisters nearly their size as they weave slowly between the fountain and the pushcarts used to wheel the water back home.
**Photo: Annasofie Flamand/IRIN.
Whether in cities or villages, this is how millions of Yemenis secure their day’s supply of water.
Since few can afford to pay for water to be pumped to their building, public urban fountains, which are free, remain the only option for most. Umm Husein, a resident of the capital Sana’a, said she has tap water only once or twice a week.
Trips to the communal fountain – taking time out of work or studies – involve her whole family. “The women, the children, every day we go to the fountain to get water,” she said.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 