"Sheba Youth Foundation for Development organized today an expanded consultative meeting for organizations and stakeholders in the water sector, entitled **“Taiz Water: Challenges and Solutions,”** as part of the activities of the Sanad 2 Project for Strengthening Community Stability in Taiz Governorate."
Sheba Youth Foundation for Development organized today an expanded consultative meeting for organizations and stakeholders in the water sector, entitled **“Taiz Water: Challenges and Solutions,”** as part of the activities of the Sanad 2 Project for Strengthening Community Stability in Taiz Governorate.
Khaled Abduljalil, Deputy Governor of Taiz for Financial and Administrative Affairs and Resource Development, affirmed that the local authority would provide full support to efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Local Water and Sanitation Corporation to deliver services to citizens.
Speaking at the meeting, Abduljalil highlighted the local authority’s need for genuine support from international and local organizations to contribute to the recovery of state institutions and strengthen their capacity to operate effectively.
Bushra Al-Laswas, Head of the Jusoor Program, implemented by Chemonics International in partnership with DeepRoot, explained that the program aims to resolve community conflicts and strengthen community stability by financing a number of projects in Yemen, including two projects in Taiz Governorate, one of which is the Sanad Project under which the meeting was held.
For his part, Nabil Jamel, Director of the Planning and International Cooperation Office in Taiz Governorate, said that the water crisis in the governorate had worsened as a result of the war, the blockade, the collapse of state institutions, and limited resources. “However, it can be said that the situation has eased to some extent in recent times,” he noted.
Jamel said that the Water Corporation had recently begun to regain its operational capacity, stressing the importance of international organizations directing their interventions toward supporting the Water Corporation so that it can restore its ability to provide services to citizens.
Jamel emphasized the importance of shifting toward sustainable projects and interventions, stating that “relief projects and emergency interventions are no longer acceptable.” He noted that the Water Sector Coordination Committee established by the Sanad 2 Project had prepared a needs matrix identifying **13 projects** required by the governorate in the water sector this year, with the aim of mobilizing funding for their implementation.
Jamel explained that the meeting demonstrated the achievement of an important objective: establishing a genuine partnership between the local authority and Sheba Youth Foundation for Development to support the recovery of local government institutions, represented in this project by the Water Corporation.
Meanwhile, Samir Abdulwahid, Director of the Local Water and Sanitation Corporation in Taiz Governorate, warned that the governorate could face serious problems in the near future due to the excessive depletion of emergency water wells.
Abdulwahid stated that more than **48 wells** that had previously supplied the governorate with water had ceased operating as a result of the war. He explained that the Water Corporation had previously produced more than **19,000 cubic meters of water per day**, while current production has fallen to only **2,200 cubic meters per day**, due to the water fields and sources supplying the governorate being located in areas under the control of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah).
Sheba Youth Foundation for Development held the expanded meeting as part of the activities of the **Sanad 2 Project for Strengthening Community Stability in Taiz Governorate**, implemented by the Foundation with funding from the Jusoor Program.
According to the Foundation, the meeting aimed to mobilize resources and direct interventions toward addressing the urgent needs required to restore the Water Corporation’s capacity to provide services to citizens.
The meeting was attended by representatives of international and local organizations, local authorities, and executive offices. During the event, Sheba Youth Foundation for Development was also honored with an **Excellence Award** by Chemonics International.