Yemen essay
<BR>by Kristine Libunao
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Yemen, a country where the physical environment is changing fast, is entering an important transition phase where the complexities of (1) scarcity of water, (2) soil degradation, and (3) habitat degradation has raised spotlight on combating these top three environmental issues. The supply of fresh water has resulted in a shortage where constraints of governmental inability of watch has led to insufficient investment in distribution of water and looks more towards community management of the scarce resource. Yemen is among the countries where there are no rivers that are in progress and depend mainly on the adoption of groundwater and rainwater in Yemen. The General Rural Water Authority (GRWA) has commissioned an assessment of water projects to work on water scarcity and its low coverage in water, but has been given little governmental priority. Yemen's capital, Sana, risk running out of a viable water supply and has seen the scarcity of water dropped to the point below sustainable levels. Causal relationships have been observed to be attributed to the increasing population, lack of water resource management, and unregulated drilling. Furthermore, almost 90% of water is used for small-scale farming where 45% of that is used to cultivate Qat, a narcotic plant that feeds no one. The results of small-scale farming only leads to 6% of the nations GDP and speculation over water distribution has reproduced much criticism. (1) In accordance to soil degradation, the Anti-Desertification Unit at the Forests and Desertification  Control (FDCD) attested that 95% of Yemen's agricultural land is at risk of deterioration which threatens food self-sufficiency, specifically due to water shortages, fierce sandstorms, cultivation of the Qat, and desertification. Sadly, Yemen a country once covered with lush forested areas, but depleted in the overgrazing of animals, destruction of forests and trees for fuel. The severity of land from overgrazing use has reduced the land's soil cover, water holding capacity, and water retention. Especially with the consistent change in land use, the expansion of cultivated land holds at the expense of pasture. In result to the changing of farming practices in correlation to the urbanization of Yemen, it has led to soil erosion because of the pressing concerns of unplanned settlements and lack of care and turn from the terrace systems designed in respond to rainfall patterns to provide optimal soil and water management. The rate of soil erosion in Yemen is due in part to the removal of vegetation and unsustainable land use and farming practices, such as large-scale irrigation practices and inadequate maintenance of terraces. (2) With overcrowding and improper farming practices, much of the natural habitats, species and genetic diversity are suffering. Habitat degradation is in part due to the mismanagement of municipal and industrial waste, hazardous land development, ill-farming practices resulting in the disturbance of such habitats. The threat of such developments is measured by over-exploitation of coastal resources, pollution from oils spills, and changes that cause disturbances to the habitats. (3) Finding a solution to the scarcity of water is the utmost priority because of the improper distribution of water causally connected to soil erosion and habitat degradation. Because water distribution is highly unbalanced, it has caused the forced practices of farmers to degrade the land and erosion of the soil in efforts to extract groundwater resources. Secondly, soil erosion holds next priority because as land becomes less and less viable with it leads to shortages in food and higher Yemeni unrest. Thirdly, habitat degradation holds measurable proximity to these environmental issues in fear of eliminating critical habitats on coastal and marine living organisms and important to note the hazards that come along with such degradation. The government hard-pressed by Yemenis to find solutions for environmental protections has established these issues to be a growing concern in need of proper attention. 
The scarcity of water has allowed for further development and brainstorm with the use of information technology. Much of the problem lies in the misuse and mismanagement of groundwater, which in turn, leads to a lowered quality (to the point of being undrinkable) of water, overexploitation, and impede success of the agricultural and industrial production. More specifically, the National Water Resources Authorities (NWRA) in Yemen and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) made an alliance in combating this issue through the development of a National Meta Information System on Groundwater in Yemen. The National Meta Information System strive to collect, store, manage, and disseminate meta-information about water related activities such as programs and projects, products of these activities such as databases and documents, and established proponents such as organizations and people in Yemen. In retrospect, the National Meta Information System aim to establish and sustain institutional memory of groundwater information in Yemen and to improve cooperation on management of information nationally. Because studies of groundwater data proves costly by incorporating this National Meta Information System it will ensure the lack of knowledge about data from other organizations within Yemen where duplication of these have been evident. The costs of the acquisition of this data can be put to better use by making data from organizations available to all. This can prove better efficiency in knowing which venues for fieldwork, installation and maintenance of monitoring networks, design, drilling operations, and lab analyses to see which paths have been fruitful and which have not. In addition, the National Meta Information will store data and their sources of information. Allowing for the organization of available information in a way that attends to the requirements of potential users dealing with certain water situations on a multitude of scales. Implications, however, do not cover and store scientific data in forms such as measurement and analyses, but instead educate users on location and kind of data. In doing so, it ensures the rights of those involved and cultivate investment that would not be flourished if data and information became too readily accessible. This information technology encourages aspects of information rescue and institutional sustainability of water information. Simultaneously, this meta-information system will integrate information technology into the Yemeni society and incorporate IT as a feasible solution. In accordance, both organizations are working to ensure the prime of an operational and sustainable system and hope for cooperation of water-related institutions to provide information self-sufficiently. Plus, part of the National Meta-Information includes training Yemenis to instill a foundation for embedding and periodical updating of the system. The benefits of instilling and actively maintaining the National Meta-Information system in Yemen will make available extensive information to which was originally found to be troublesome to find. It will further encourage the settling of facilities of support that update information and collect completed water-related projects’ results, and ensure the benefits of prior investments to be put in use for future breakthroughs. The development of the National Meta-Information system in Yemen thanks to the General Rural Water Authority in partnership with the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre will assist other countries and organizations through availability of information and open doors for more well-research and viable solutions to attend to the environmental crises that has inadvertently pushed Yemen closer to the  scarcity of natural resources (specifically water) due to the exploitation of resources and growing urbanization which  has forsaken the country. 


Works Cited
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Van Der Gun, Jac. "International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre."Earthobservations.org. IGRAC, June 2003. Web.
"Yemen Environment - Current Issues." - Geography. CIA World Factbook, 26 July 2012. Web.
"Yemen." UNHCR News. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2003. Web.
Zaken, Buitenlandse. "Support to Rural Water Supply." Oecd.org. IOB Impact Evaluation, Oct. 2008. Web.