Cash For Work rehabilitated the rainwater harvesting pond after 34 years of burial
NFDHR: ADEL OTHMAN – Tuesday, 02 October, 2018
Water represents the main nerve-racking problem experienced in different areas of Yemen due to the drought of streams, springs and the decline in the level of ground water and low rainfall levels.
Ar-Rujum District, Al-Mahwit Governorate is one of the areas where the population suffers from the lack of access to their needs of water, especially the residents of the remote villages located within the residential density of Bani Badi, Galibi Wa Rabi’ie and Al-Thari Sub-districts
In ancient times, ancestors built barriers and so-called ponds to harvest rainwater and use them for domestic uses.
The pond of Bait Mukhtar and Al-Jalidi, a large and old pool, people of the region confirm that the date of its construction goes back to the reign of King Asa’ad Al-Kamel Al-Hemiari, who ruled Yemen during the period 370-430 A.D
It is about 10 meters deep, but due to neglect and failure of the residents to raise the dust and the remnants of the floods on an annual basis led to the full burial.
“Water is scarce in our area, and we have to bring water using donkeys from Al-Ma’ain mountainous area, which is about 2 kilometers far from our homes,” Al-Mukhtar said.
During the visit of NFDHR’s engineers to the region, in order to identify and select sites for the implementation of cash-for-work activities, Bait Mukhtar and Al-Galidi Pond was chosen as one of the targeted sites within the activities of Emergency Integrated Food, WASH and Health Interventions for the Affected Communities in Ar-Rujum District. Implementation started in July 2018 with the participation of 4 groups of 60 workers.
The supervisor of the rehabilitation of the pond, Engineer Kamal Al-Zafeni confirmed that the people of the region worked seriously over 24 days during the second and third phases of the activity, and they were very interested in completing work in a record time and aware of its importance in the harvesting , collection and conservation of rain water .
“The enthusiasm was great among the workers, and the traditional songs exist so loud,” Zafeni said. “There was one talk during work which is “when would the pool be filled with water”
Throughout the cleaning of the pool, people were eagerly waiting for it to be completed, all hoping to be drained during the rainy season this year.
The Foundation was keen to complete the cleaning and rehabilitation of the pond before the rainy season, and the people were waiting for rain. During the rainy season, about 785 cubic meters of water were collected, enough to cover the needs of the residents of Bait Mukhtar and Al Jalidi villages for their family needs and watering cattle and sheep for six months long.
The villages have a population of 732 people, including 255 men, 297 women and 100 boys, 80 girls.
It was the joy of the people to clean and rehabilitate the pond, and expressed through organizing a special joyful carnival after the end of the last day of work, in which the popular folk were dancing with their children to celebrate the completion of the work.