Harvest 2024.. Cholera and climate change are the most prominent disasters in Yemen during the past year (report)

In addition to the bloody conflict that has been ongoing for ten years, its humanitarian repercussions, and the escalation of the Houthi militia in the Red Sea, Yemen witnessed during the past year the flood disaster that struck various governorates of the country, leaving behind tragic conditions whose repercussions are still ongoing to this day, in addition to the return of the cholera epidemic that struck the country again, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of patients and hundreds of deaths as the two most prominent events on the humanitarian level that were monitored in the year 2014.

The last rainy season in Yemen witnessed unprecedented rainfall that caused severe flooding that resulted in significant human losses, as well as destruction and displacement, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the country due to prolonged conflict, disasters and disease outbreaks.

According to international reports, Yemen witnessed two main rainy seasons during 2024 AD, one in April and May and the other from July until the end of September, which was particularly devastating this year due to unusual weather patterns and continuous heavy rains across the country.

On the health front, the cholera pandemic has re-emerged in the country over the past year, due to the collapse of the country’s health system as a result of the war, and the Houthi militia’s halting of vaccination campaigns in areas under its control, which has caused a disaster that is still ongoing.

Floods: Huge human losses and hundreds of thousands affected

Heavy rains and devastating floods that hit Yemen in 2024 killed and injured 875 people and affected more than 1.3 million people in various governorates of the country.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in its latest update on the rainy situation and its damage, issued last November, that the devastating rains and floods resulted in the death of 240 people and the injury of 635 others.

The report noted that most of the Yemeni governorates were affected by these floods, and the governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Taiz, Al Hudaydah, and Al Mahwit were the most affected.

For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 187,000 families in 20 governorates were affected by heavy rains and floods, which caused severe damage affecting more than 1.3 million people, according to a report published by UNICEF.

Climate-related natural disasters displaced 70,411 families (492,877 individuals) during the past year 2024, according to the latest report by the United Nations Population Fund.

devastating damage

 UN reports indicated that the floods that hit the country last year led to the destruction of a large number of mud houses and tents for the displaced, the destruction of many water sources and roads, the disruption of livelihoods, the flooding of agricultural lands, the causing of severe damage to livestock, threatening food security, and the transfer of unexploded ordnance to residential areas, which caused an increase in the risk of exposure of people and humanitarian workers responding on the ground.

She pointed out that the floods caused serious damage to the sites of residents and internally displaced persons, their homes, temporary shelters and infrastructure, affecting thousands of families. According to the latest updates of the National Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster in Yemen, 34,709 shelters were damaged, including 12,837 partially damaged and 21,872 completely damaged.

In the health sector, the floods have caused damage to health facilities; according to the latest updates from the National Health Cluster in Yemen, 126 health facilities have been affected by the floods, to varying degrees, and have contributed to the outbreak of cholera, along with several waterborne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, which have been exacerbated by stagnant water and the spread of vectors, according to reports.

Floods have caused devastating damage to livelihoods, with around 99,000 hectares of agricultural land affected by floods. Most of the affected agricultural land was in Al Hudaydah (77,362 hectares) and Hajjah (20,717 hectares), representing around 12 percent and 9 percent respectively of the total agricultural land. Around 279,000 sheep and goats were also affected, according to a rapid assessment conducted by FAO in August and September 2024.

Cholera is a deadly threat

In 2024, Yemen witnessed a new outbreak of cholera, the second after the first outbreak that the country witnessed in 2016, which peaked in 2017 and continued until November 2021, recording 2.5 million cases of infection and more than 4,000 deaths, according to UN estimates.

The new wave of the epidemic spread throughout the country, but the majority of cases of infection and cholera were in areas controlled by the Houthi militia, which launched a demonization campaign against vaccines.

A few days ago, the World Health Organization announced that Yemen had witnessed the largest cholera outbreak in the world during the past year, recording 260,552 cases and 879 deaths since the beginning of the year until December 29.

The World Health Organization explained that Hodeidah, Hajjah, Amran and Taiz topped the list of governorates in the number of cholera/acute watery diarrhea ( AWD ) cases announced during the year, while Shabwa, Hadramout, Al Mahrah and Socotra had the lowest cases of infection.

Cholera is a waterborne infectious disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae , which spreads rapidly through the population, primarily through the consumption of contaminated water or food. The disease manifests itself as uncontrollable diarrhea, which, if left untreated, can lead to severe dehydration or even death.

In addition to cholera, the country continues to suffer from successive outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, dengue fever, polio and other diseases.