Summer heat fuels humanitarian crisis in Yemen

The summer heat has exacerbated the suffering for Yemenis already suffering the consequences of war.

Long power cuts mean Yemenis have to do without air conditioners and water pumps for much of the day, food and medicines spoil in refrigerators, and hospitals are unable to function.

Mohammad Sharim, a doctor in al-Hudaydah's al-Thawra General Hospital, said the heat and favourable conditions for disease-carrying insects had caused an increase in disease there. Al-Hudaydah is one of the poorest areas in the country.

Sharim added: "The complete lack of electricity makes it very hard to conduct medical operations."

Waste has been stacking up in the streets and disease carrying insects have increased. -Adirous Mohamed

The director of the city's electricity supply, Najeeb al-Shaabi, said the power cuts were the result of a lack of fuel, which was used to generate electricity.

"The electric station in Hudaydah has come to a complete standstill," he said.

One resident, Abdul Rahman Zafour, warned of a humanitarian crisis in Hudaydah if the power was not restored. He said he had moved his family to the neighbouring al-Mahwit province because it has a more temperate climate.

Another resident, Adirous Mohamed, said waste has been stacking up in the streets and disease carrying insects have increased.

He added: "A large number of hospitals have stopped working because they lack medical staff."

Fuad al-Saqqaf, a resident of Aden, told al-Araby al-Jadeed his diabetic father died last week because his insulin supply was spoiled when he could not run his refrigerator.

Salah Abdullah, another Aden resident, said one of his neighbours died recently due to the heat because he was unable to leave his house because of the fighting. Abdullah said his old neighbour who suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes could not stand the intense heat.

Saqqaf said that the fighting in the city prevented people from leaving their houses and sitting on their cooler roofs at night, adding: "Aden's residents are stuck between the intense heat of their houses and the shelling."

Stray bullets injured a mother and her young daughter while they were asleep on their room a month ago according to Abdullah.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.