Institutional Development
of the Water Sector
 Context
Yemen’s water supply relies on groundwater, and the country
suffers from grave water shortages. Only 125 cubic metres are
available annually per capita, and groundwater is being heavily
overexploited and polluted. In some regions, extraction exceeds
replenishment by 400 percent. This endangers not only the drinking
water supply for rural and urban areas, but also the livelihoods of
small-scale agricultural farmers. It is estimated that more than 90
percent of water resources are spent on irrigation. About 45 percent
of the urban population has no access to centralised water supply
systems, and about 65 percent is without centralised sanitation
services.
Although sector development has made significant progress in the
past ten years, water sector organisations still need intensive
capacity development to improve their effectiveness and performance.
Many towns and in particular rural areas still lack a safe water
supply. Millions of people need to have access to safe drinking
water and basic sanitation if the MDG is to be reached in 2015.
The Water Sector Program
The Program represents a multilevel approach and consists of
five components. At the national level, the Ministry of Water and
Environment is being supported in the implementation of the National
Water Sector Strategy and Investment Plan (NWSSIP), which was
developed with the assistance of GTZ to the Technical Secretariat
(TS) for Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform. The TS also
facilitates the decentralisation process in urban water supply and
sanitation services including establishing a regulator. It prepares,
for example, the legal documents for establishing decentralised and
commercialised urban water utilities.
At the local level, GTZ supports the water utilities in the fields
of management, operations, customer dialogue and public awareness
until they are able to perform to a high standard. In addition,
advisory committees to the water utilities representing local
interests such as those of the poor and of women have been
established and given support. The advisory committees play a
pivotal role, especially in setting pro-poor water tariffs and
improving services to the customers. Public information centres have
also been set up to promote hygiene education, conduct water-saving
campaigns and train field workers for customer dialogue.
At the cross-cutting level, GTZ supports the Ministry of Water and
Environment as well as water utilities in human resources
development. A National Training Program has been established in
part, which attracts personnel from water utilities in particular.
The program offers a wide range of qualification opportunities, from
top management to technicians and craftsmen. Guiding principles for
personnel development have been established to promote a
comprehensive approach in human resources development going far
beyond training only.
At the regional level, integrated water resources management is
being introduced. GTZ is supporting the National Water Resources
Authority (NWRA) in establishing water basin committees and water
resources management plans for regions facing a water crisis. Sound
water management has become a prerequisite for increasing the number
of people with access to a safe water supply. Thus a holistic
approach combining water supply and water resources management is
being pursued. In Amran Governorate the Program supports districts
to improve water management on the community level including
sanitation.
The Program is being implemented in close collaboration with other
German development organisations such as the KfW Development Bank
(providing financing for the infrastructure), the Federal
Institution for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), German
Development Service (DED) and the Centrum für Internationale
Migration und Entwicklung (CIM). Within the framework of an emerging
sector-wide approach, the Program is closely coordinated with other
donors, such as the World Bank, the Netherlands and UNDP. In future,
the Program will be part of a sector-wide approach – WSSP (Water
Sector Support Program).
Development Results and Impact
German Technical Cooperation has so far resulted in a significant
improvement in the institutional framework conditions for the water
sector. Yemen now has not only a water policy and a strategy for
water management, but also a detailed investment plan until 2015
setting out priorities and areas of activity. This provides a sound
basis for improving development in the water sector and encouraging
investment by other donors. In addition, the decentralisation
process has made and is continuing to make major progress. With the
assistance of German Development Cooperation, more than 15
autonomous and semi-autonomous water utilities offer water supply
and sanitation services to the urban population in medium-sized
towns. An urban population of about 2.5 Mio now has access to safe
drinking water and sanitation services. Of these, about 60 percent
are people living below the poverty line. The successful concept for
developing independent water utilities is being implemented in other
towns in Yemen by the Yemeni authorities and other donors. |
Water Sector
Factsheets
Detailed
Information about the Yemeni-German Water Sector Program and its
Components.
Download English Version,
1,1 MB, PDF
Download
Arabic Version, 1,1 MB, PDF
The
Components:
Consolidation of Sector
Reform in
Urban Water Supply and Sanitation
 more
Human Resource Development
in the Water Sector
more
Development of Independent and
Commercialized Urban Water and
Sanitation Utilities
more
Decentralization of Water Resources Management
more
Strengthening Local Actors in Arid
Areas for Sustainable Water use at the Community Level in Amran
more
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