Midi, Yemen / 17 Shaʻban 1440 (22 April 2019) – The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) has launched 11 new projects in the Midi Directorate of northwest Yemen, continuing its work in the region. The initiatives span the agriculture, fisheries, electricity, healthcare and water sectors, and will help increase life expectancy, restore sources of income, and reinvigorate economic activity in Midi and the surrounding areas.

SDRPY has broken ground on a new school, health center and water purification plant in an area of Midi where an inordinate number of newborn children die from waterborne illnesses every year. Twenty years ago, a water station existed in the area but became inoperative after 2 years due to lack of maintenance. SDRPY will provide training for locals in the operation and maintenance of the water station, thus ensuring sustainability.

The people of Fasht Island, Midi district, have lacked immediate access to clean water for almost 50 years. Residents have often consumed unpurified seawater when rainwater has been insufficient to meet their needs, and local wells – some of them dug a hundred years ago – yield only saltwater. The new water treatment plant will purify seawater, supplementing natural freshwater volumes and supporting the local ecosystem. The salinity of drinking water in the Midi district often reaches levels of up to 35,000 parts per million (ppm), notably in the islands where fresh water is not easily accessible; in Saudi Arabia the average is approximately 4,000 ppm.

A brand new, fully equipped health center will address issues such as high rates of infant mortality and waterborne disease in Midi. Residents of Midi district who live on islands such as Fasht and Buklan have usually travelled at great cost to Midi city, about half an hour away by boat, to receive health treatment. The new health center will grant them access to high quality healthcare without the risk posed by travel to the sick or injured.

In addition to these modern installations, SDRPY will furnish Midi with new fishing vessels and outboard motors, along with a new maintenance facility for the boats. The Iran-backed Houthi militias previously destroyed the fleets of fishing boats in Midi, eliminating the sole source of income for thousands of residents. New electrical generators and filters for existing generators will be supplied to areas of Midi that have never known outdoor lighting. The district will also receive greenhouses, agricultural equipment, fertilizer, seed, water tanker-trucks, transport vehicles, and lights for solar-powered street lamps. Finally, the coast guard station in Midi will be rehabilitated, restoring stability and security to the port.

“It is fitting that the program unveiled these projects today in Hope Square, which represents the optimism of decent people everywhere that a life of peace and prosperity can soon return to millions of Yemenis, including in Hajjah,” said Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and SDRPY Supervisor Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jabir. “As a key player in regional stability, the Kingdom is committed to restoring hope and security in Yemen, and that is why we continue to work toward the renewal of hope for the brotherly Yemeni people.”