Al-Dhalea governorate suffers from water scarcity, as a result of the farmers' reliance there on seasonal rains, which prompted the local inhabitants to construct ponds, dams, and water barriers to meet the growing needs of the population, most of whom are engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding.
Ali Sa'ad (55 years old), from Al-Dhalea, describes the situation of the villagers before the construction of two dams in the “Al-Saab” area, saying: “The village was suffering from water shortage, and the people used to travel about 4 kilometers to reach the torrent of Wadi Bana, to bring open water that's full of germs and algae using various means, including cars and donkeys."
Sa'ad added, in his interview with "Khuyut" that: "Even partial solutions did not completely solve the problem, as the well that the people cooperated to dig did not meet all the growing need for water, which prompted people in the village to think of finding an optimal solution, whatever the cost."
The construction of the "Al-Mabaha" dam and the "Al-Lahajin" dam, at an exorbitant cost, in the village of "Kolat Al-Zaqari" located in the Damt district of Al-Dhalea Governorate (center of the country), comes as an inevitable necessity, to get rid of the specter of drought, and to provide drinking water and irrigation water. In the past, the villagers relied exclusively on the water of the seasonal rains, which did not fall well.
Providing water security
According to the farmer, Abdullah Salim, the construction of the "Al-Mabaha" dam and the "Al-Lahajin" dam, at an exorbitant cost, in the village of "Kolat Al-Zaqari" located in the Damt district of Al-Dhalea Governorate (center of the country), comes as an inevitable necessity, to get rid of the specter of drought, and to provide drinking water and irrigation water. In the past, the villagers relied exclusively on the water of the seasonal rains, which did not fall well.
Salim speaks happily: "After the construction of the first dam, the water supply network reached all homes, and it became possible to irrigate farms as well, while we are about to finish building the second dam.
Salim's delight was not absurd or exaggerated, but as a relief of long suffering, the bitterness of which Selim and the people of his village incurred until the construction of the two dams, which will provide all the people of the village with water security, so that the seasonal rain water will be optimally exploited, instead of its waste every year without exploiting it.
Asim Al-Zaqari, the engineer who supervised the construction of the two dams along with the engineering team, describes the structure of the two dams and their storage capacity, saying: “The first dam, the “Al-Mabaha” dam, is a cumulus dam, which consists of broken stones of different sizes with a percentage of dust, provided with a concrete curtain that prevents water leakage. The length of the dam is 48 meters from the top, 24 meters from the bottom, its height is 12.60 meters, and its storage capacity is 110,000 cubic meters, while the width of its base is 36 meters from the bottom and 3.2 meters from the top. Al-Zaqari continues his speech to "Khuyut": "As for the "Al-Lahajin" dam, the second dam that is still under construction, it consists of block concrete, and it is more expensive, the size of this dam is one and a half times larger than the first dam in terms of its length, width and water storage capacity.
Self-initiatives
The construction efforts and the cost came as self-initiatives and contributions of the villagers, a matter confirmed by Mohsen Al-Zaqari, one of the villagers of (Kulat Al-Zaqri), in his interview with "Khuyut", praising the great role played by the "National Cooperative Association of Kulat Al-Zaqari" in building the two dams. It is an association that was founded by expatriates residing in the Emirates, in the year 1970, for the purpose of financing development projects for the village.
Al-Zaqri continues, "The association had a building in the Emirates, which was sold for a value of one million and a quarter dirham. With this amount, the first dam, the "Al-Mabaha" dam, was constructed, which took nearly nine months.
Al-Zaqri added that: "Later, we started thinking of building another dam in the opposite direction of the first dam, but its cost was greater than the cost of the first, according to studies and estimates of engineers and contractors."
Al-Zaqri resumes his speech, saying: "It cost 250 million. The village cooperative had sold its land located in Al-Hodeida Governorate at a value of 120 million, then the people took the initiative on their own, and without being forced to collect the remaining amount, which is 130 million, especially the expatriates, in order for the construction of the "Al-Lahajin" dam, which is currently in the final stages of completion, to be achieved.
For his part, the agricultural engineer, Taha Al-Zaqri, spoke to “Khuyut” about the importance of establishing the two dams in the village of “Kulat Al-Zaqri”, saying: “These dams contributed to watering and irrigating agricultural areas of not less than two-thirds of the valley. In addition to the fact that the establishment of the two dams will contribute to solve the problems that the farmer was suffering from, represented in the insufficiency or lack of water for crops that were about to be completed and ripened, and with the presence of the two dams, it became possible to take care of the crops and maintain its sufficiency with water until maturity.
Al-Zaqri added to "Khuyut": "In terms of development and motivation, the farmers are currently feeling satisfied, given the storage capacity of the two dams of 260,000 cubic meters, which opens wide horizons for expanding farms, multiple options for crop diversity, and larger agricultural projects that will achieve sufficiency and export."
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Bukari, a professor of sociology at Taiz University, comments on these voluntary community initiatives and considers them an embodiment of construction and development, especially in light of the failure of official efforts to meet all societal needs. Al-Bukari continues: "There is a previous and successful experience in Yemen, called "cooperatives", which contributed to the achievement of a number of vital development projects such as roads, dams, schools, etc. Perhaps the construction of dams in some areas is the most important step for bringing about agricultural development that revives the surrounding areas and the country as a whole. This, in turn, will improve the standard of living for the local community.”
