EO-Based Groundwater Analysis in Yemen to Address Water Security and Public Health Risks
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Description
Yemen is facing a severe water crisis, intensified by decades of unsustainable groundwater extraction, extreme water scarcity and damage from protracted conflict. The destruction of water infrastructure and its pollution since 2015 has further limited access to safe water, and also contributed to major public health crises, including a cholera outbreak that affected more than one million people.
To address these challenges the GDA Public Health activity has partnered with the World Bank to harness Earth Observation (EO) data to monitor and quantify groundwater resources across Yemen. This approach offers a consistent method to obtain large scale insights where in-situ measurements are scarce or non-existent.
Satellite based maps were produced to track ground water at national level, and in parallel more detailed time-series analysis was completed on the Aden-Tuban Basin, a key socio-economical hub. The analysis showed a general decline in groundwater levels across the country, with temporary recharge observed in some areas following heavy rainfall events. However, overall extraction continues to exceed natural replenishment, indicating long-term unsustainability. To make the data more usable, groundwater conditions were translated into simple indicators of availability and combined with drought and recharge analysis.
The findings highlighted that without sustained monitoring and integrated water management, Yemen’s vital groundwater resources remain at serious risk, threatening water security, public health, and livelihood.
Read more about this Case Study here: Groundwater analysis to prevent water crisis Yemen