Taiz water costs jump 75% as Houthi siege cuts supply lines

The cost of bottled water in Taiz has risen by as much as 75% in recent weeks, according to residents and aid groups. This price spike accompanies a severe reduction in supply as Iran-backed Houthi rebels tighten their siege on Yemen's third-largest city. The escalation in the conflict has disrupted the primary logistics networks that deliver essential resources to the urban center.

Aid organizations report that the needs of Taiz's more than 1 million residents are barely being met. Access to local wells is restricted, and desalination plants are operating below capacity due to a lack of fuel. Water trucks, which previously provided a steady flow, are largely blocked from entering the city. Those drivers who continue the hazardous journey have in some cases tripled their transport rates.

Households are adjusting consumption patterns to cope with the shortage. Hadil al-Shahid, a hair salon owner, stated that she and her two children now stretch 10 liters of bottled water over four days. Previously, that amount lasted one day. She noted that the family has stopped drinking coffee and tea to conserve water. Some other households are purchasing supplies on credit as cash reserves deplete.

The water crisis is compounding other economic pressures in the city. Grocery prices have climbed, with flour and rice costing about 50% more than in the summer. Cooking gas prices have more than quadrupled, according to Hani Bafaqih of the aid group CARE. Families are burning wood, charcoal, or cardboard for fuel. These shortages have also halted waste collection and reduced the output of community kitchens.

The situation has deteriorated since August, when the Houthis captured the port city of Mokha, located 130 kilometers away. This strategic gain allowed the rebels to control key routes into Taiz. The city has absorbed an estimated 124,000 displaced people, roughly half of those moved elsewhere in Yemen since August, according to United Nations migration experts. Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for a UN emergency aid division, warned that the shortages feed into each other, increasing the risk of disease.

The government still holds the center of Taiz, but resupplying its forces is complicated by the siege. Houthi officials claim control of about 80% of the surrounding countryside and several neighborhoods inside the city. Analysts suggest that controlling Taiz is a prerequisite for the Houthis to advance south toward Aden and Lahj. The fighting has drawn closer to residential areas, with recent missile strikes killing two teenage girls in a neighborhood earlier this week.