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Yemen fact of the day
...the market price of water has quadrupled in the past four years, pushing more and more people to drill illegally into rapidly receding aquifers.
Here is the longer (and fascinating) story. Basically the country is running out of water. The article focuses on the fact that half of the Yemeni water supply goes to grow an addictive drug called qat. Here is more:
...in the late 1960s, motorized drills began to proliferate, allowing farmers and villagers to pump water from underground aquifers much faster than it could be replaced through natural processes. The number of drills has only grown since they were outlawed in 2002.
Despite the destructive effects of qat, the Yemeni government supports it, through diesel subsidies, loans and customs exemptions, Mr. Eryani said. It is illegal to import qat, and powerful growers known here as the “qat mafia” have threatened to shoot down any planes bringing in cheaper qat from abroad.
If you have never visited Yemen, and would consider such a trip, I urge you to do so. The option value component of waiting for better times is dwindling rapidly. I should add that:
1. The country cannot afford much desalination, and
2. The real problem with desalination is often pumping the "clean" water uphill and that is a major issue in mountainous Yemen.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on November 3, 2009 at 05:50 AM in Economics | Permalink
Comments
Yemen having a Total Fertility Rate of 6.32 babies per woman per lifetime, the seventh highest in the world, doesn't help its water problems.
It's funny how Third World over-population has completely disappeared off the radar screen of things that it's fashionable to be concerned about.
Posted by: Steve Sailer at Nov 3, 2009 6:48:49 AM
It's worth noting that water in neighboring Saudi Arabia was free until a few years ago. Now it costs a few cents per cubic meter, but still remains among the cheapest in the world.
Of course water is not actually cheap, but is massively subsidized by oil revenues - the same reason why Saudi Arabia has no income tax. So the question is, where's Yemen's oil money?
Posted by: david at Nov 3, 2009 7:42:09 AM
Pumping water from deep underground is the same as pumping up hill, you need big pumps. So I think the second issue is a red herring.
Posted by: mdb at Nov 3, 2009 8:17:56 AM
Basically the country is running out of water.
Unless you have lived in the arid western United States, discussions of "water" sound other worldly.
To really appreciate the battles over water in the arid west, especially in California between the enviros, farmers, and urban centers, it helps to live there for a bit.
Then you can begin to appreciate topics like water rights, water marketing, treated sewage, xeriscaping, desalination, snow pack, the Continental Divide, the Colorado River, Salt River Project, etc., etc.
Posted by: anon at Nov 3, 2009 8:40:49 AM
Thanks for sharing this post, Tyler. It made me a) want to go to Yemen, b) sad and c) urge to write a letter to the WTO in order to campaign for the free traffic of qat.
Do we have qat in the West?
Posted by: Alejandro Guerrero at Nov 3, 2009 9:05:04 AM
I think that the Yemeni government needs to take immediate actions or otherwise things will go out of controls. In fact, Yemeni government should outlaw the use of qat and punish farmers who break the law. Let’s think about it. Yemeni farmers use scarce water to grow plants of addictive drug is just stupid. Not just because the water supply is limited, but planting those drugs is also unethical. Second, Yemen suffers more on water shortage from climate change. Based on its geography, there is less rain and more droughts in that country. Third, Yemen has lack of money to provide desalination.
"1. The country cannot afford much desalination, and 2. The real problem with desalination is often pumping the "clean" water uphill and that is a major issue in mountainous Yemen". Based on what Tyler said, Yemen need help and support from overseas. To sum all, the government needs to reallocate water supply and provide it to whoever truly values its worth. Also, Yemen needs to develop relationships with foreign countries and get aided on desalination from them.
Posted by: Steven W. at Nov 3, 2009 9:12:59 AM
Steven, the problem you will find is that qat farmers value the water more (will pay more for it) than almost anyone else. So if the ones who "truly values its worth" are the ones who will pay the most for it, it will still end up growing qat. Allowing free trade in qat would reduce the price and at least reduce the use of marginal land for qat growth.
The problems of qat chewing are well known in Yemen. The government has made a big push to reduce qat use. And it's not just at the top; my basketball coach would bench anyone who had chewed recently because he knew it reduced their energy. It suppresses appetite and makes people lethargic, and it is generally harmful to the economy and people's health. However, it is a deeply entrenched social custom, so much so that gathering with friends for a daily qat chew is the center of many people's lives. Banning qat would be harder and less effective than prohibition was here, especially given the limits of government control in many areas.
Tyler, it sounds like you have visited Yemen; I grew up there, and would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to visit. It is a long flight, and travel in country is slow on the mountain roads, so plan to spend at least a few weeks there to really appreciate it. The country is beautiful in a unique way, and even with increasing access to modern amenities it feels like a very old place. Trades and crafts shown in museums in the rest of the middle east are still practiced in the old city of Sana'a and in the villages and towns of the rest of the country.
Posted by: Jeremy at Nov 3, 2009 10:28:54 AM
Sounds to me like the real shortage is not water, but rather a shortage of wealth creation with which to buy desalinated water.
They either need to grow their economy very quickly, or they need to emigrate.
They don't have an overpopulation problem or a water problem. They have a crappy economy problem.
Posted by: happyjuggler0 at Nov 3, 2009 11:38:59 AM
I have also visited Yemen, and it's one of the top five countries I've ever seen. (The food is amazing! A mix of Arabic and Indian...)
It's in a hot dry place, there are many people, and they like qat (I tried it. boring, but VERY central to their culture -- in the same way as Andean use of coca leaf...)
OTOH, their troubles with water are entirely to do with poor property rights. The central government is not very central and certainly not effective, so there's little to be done with property rights. The "solution" will probably involve the qat farmers taking over local water supplies, giving enough for "base human needs" (20 lt/cap/day) and then controlling extraction so they can stay in business.
Oh, and remember that a lot of the qat ends in Somalia -- a place that's even more lawless!
Posted by: David Zetland at Nov 3, 2009 11:47:20 AM
As it turns out, qat is actually a stimulant drug; the lethargy and depressive effects are caused by the hangover. Long-term abuse has health consequences, but these are much milder than for alcohol, tobacco or even cannabis.
I doubt that qat use has much to do with Yemen's economic problems, though the substance being illegal in much of the world doesn't help--the prospects for free trade are quite dismal.
Posted by: anon at Nov 3, 2009 12:04:42 PM
Tyler, when did you visit Yemen last? Do you think much has changed?
Posted by: larry at Nov 3, 2009 12:23:51 PM
Yemen is indeed an amazing place. I spent a year and a half there and it has really helped me with thinking about poverty, aid, and wealth creation. Over 90% of the water is used in agriculture, upwards of 60% of that is for Qat. Qat also has the advantage of being capable of several harvests a year (with adequate water) so farmers have even more incentive to plant it. What's truly amazing is that the majority of Yemenis I spoke to do not consider it a "drug." In many people's mind's, if you don't act drunk from taking it, it isn't a drug. I faced more pressure to chew than any other drug in my life. The only reliable method I had for making them leave me alone was to tell them that my father forbade me to chew it. It wasn't true, but over there, you do not go against your father's directives. Please go visit, once you get there it is inexpensive and the scenery by itself is worth seeing...
Posted by: Isaac Crawford at Nov 3, 2009 12:57:16 PM
<Humor On>Every time I hear a story about Yemen, I can't help but think of this Onion article about an aggrieved blues musician and that nation: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30345 </Humor Off> But seriously, I hope that they're able to sort their water situation out. Water shortages and deserts do not mix.
Posted by: TheDarkPassenger at Nov 3, 2009 1:03:55 PM
The qat problem is indeed worse in Somalia than Yemen.
There is an irony here in that there is actually a fair amount of rainfall in the higher mountain
areas, certainly compared to other countries in the region.
Something not mentioned by anybody that complicates things is an ongoing civil war there, which
has morphed over the years, especially since North and South Yemen unified nearly two decades ago.
The current revolt is by northern tribalists against the central government, who also happen to
belong to a relatively obscure Shi'i sect, the 5-Imam Zaydi Shi'a (mainliners are 12-Imam and
Ismailis are 7-Iman). It is only in this part of Yemen that this sect exists, and their religious
identity is part of the revolt.
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Nov 3, 2009 1:13:39 PM
qat, the scrabble player's favorite drug.
Posted by: rip at Nov 3, 2009 2:40:11 PM
Judging by the comments, yes, Third World over-population has completely disappeared off the radar screen of things that it's fashionable to be concerned about.
According to UN population projections, the population of Yemen is expected to grow from 20 million to 73 million in this half century. Yemen has bigger problems than qat production.
Posted by: Steve Sailer at Nov 3, 2009 3:54:32 PM
There is a device known as a "Water Ram" which absent freezing can lift water to any height without use of other than natural flow power (such as tidal currents, stream flows, etc).
One solution is to raise sea water to elevations for desalinization via sunlight.
Hey, in Tierra del Fuega, they were catching water from fog up in the mountains on nets and condensing it to flow down to villages. They let the systems deteriorate and went back to hauling in water.
I would not be surprised if a group assembled gangs of Rams to lift enough water up high into a reservoir for electric power to be generated by that same water's descent.
If that were done, there could be power for desalinization.
Posted by: R. Richard Schweitzer at Nov 3, 2009 5:40:22 PM
It's a pretty dangerous country to travel in as a westerner. Kidnappings are common. Not sure why you don't mention this
Posted by: Aging ape at Nov 3, 2009 6:32:30 PM
Interestingly enough, the Qat tree has been planted here in Perth quite some decades ago as an ornamental tree as it likes the hot dry summers. Its drug use went entirely un-noticed until about a decade ago when Somali refugees started to arrive and found the stuff literally growing on trees. Initially home owners didn't have any problem giving a branch to well mannered Somalis who asked but then more and more started to ask and then turned up and got stuck into the trees without asking and hand drawn maps of where to find Qat trees are circulating in the Somali community. Pretty well anyone who had a Qat tree has now had it removed.
Posted by: iolanthe at Nov 3, 2009 8:17:22 PM
for anyone who's been to Yemen: I've never read anything on costs or consequences associated with its reunification. How did it relate to the fact of the day?
Posted by: Dan L at Nov 3, 2009 10:39:41 PM
Judging by the comments, yes, Third World over-population has completely disappeared off the radar screen of things that it's fashionable to be concerned about.Overpopulation became fashionable as a topic as we recognized that resources are actually limited and that technology will not provide some limitless Jetsons-Utopia. That was in the 70ies and 80ies. But the issue has lost its novelty.
Everybody is aware of the problem, but what can you do? When the issue is raised, the general response seems to be that education of women is key.
Paternalistic recommendations to reduce population growth have faced some backlash from lunatic dictators. Basically, the Yemenites have to figure this out for themselves and take some kind of action.
Posted by: dieter at Nov 4, 2009 11:29:29 AM
for the poster above-qat is legal in the uk, illegal in the USCANMAEX
fwiw, djibouti's qat > yeme's qat any day of the week. there, they speak about "grazing on salad" as the euphamism of choice for eating qat
Posted by: farmer at Nov 4, 2009 12:09:55 PM
Re: kidnapping in Yemen
I never felt as though I was in danger in my time in Yemen, and I'm a big, goofy looking white guy. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of those kidnappings occurred in a handful of places (Shebwa, etc.) and AMericans at least are not able to go to those places. When people were kidnapped, it was almost always a tribal issue NOT some sort of Al Queda thing. Tribes essentially try to blackmail the government so they can get relatives released from jail, jobs, etc. With very few exceptions, al hostages have been treated very well. A handful of us at the Arabic school were only partly kidding when we said that we hoped to be kidnapped...
The "reunification" of north and south is an ongoing issue in Yemen. Instead of a unification, it essentially became the north taking over the south. Sweet government and military jobs have been given to folks with connections with northern tribes and they have all but dominated the political landscape across the south. There are ongoing protests and unrest across the south, we'll see if it erupts into outright rebellion... Salah's government would be hard pressed to maintain tribal backing if there were armed conflicts in the north and south.
Qat is considered a schedule one drug and is therefore illegal in the US. From what I gather, this has more to do with the potential for refining into a more powerful drug than how it is used by the Yemenis. I doubt that any customs official could recognize the various types even if they found some...
Isaac Crawford
Posted by: Isaac Crawford at Nov 4, 2009 2:59:34 PM
The water transportation issue is not a red herring. Sana'a is over 2000m in elevation. If they're digging that deep for underground water, I'd be very impressed. As Tyler says, it costs more than twice as much to transport the water from the sea to the city than to desalinate it.
Posted by: Paul at Nov 5, 2009 2:00:00 PM
Hi, my name is Hussein Sharif and I am of Yemen decent. My parents moved to the U.S. before I was born. I was born in Dearborn, MI, where in fact there is a big Yemeni community here. The reason I am posting this comment is because I read some of the things you guys were discusing in regards to Yemens problems. Especially with this "gat" and the water issues. I just wanted to say thank you all for your concern, and I wish there is something that I can do to try to help with these issues but I don't know how. I know a lot of Yemeni people whom have complaining about this issue for years but can't seem to find a solution. I visited Yemen after I graduated back in 2002 and I was shocked at the way peoples lives revolved around gat. Also, to grow the gat, you need lots and lots of water, I don't know how much exactly but a farmer told me it usually needs three times more water than fruits, and vegetables. Many people, from the town where my parents came from in Yemen, told me that there town/village is very dry in the recent years. I witnessed acers of farm land that was dry, and the few areas that were fertile the routhless and welthy where diging deep wells and pumpeing water out to water to grow the gat, and charging the other farmers a rate per hour to pump water into their fields. I told many of the farmers that they should be ashamed of theirselves and for their actions, but they would say there is nothing else they can do "the only thing we can profit on is from growing and selling gat", they said "the government will not help them financially to grow fruits and vegtables, and the profit margin will not be enough to support theirselves or their familys". I don't know who you are, what your intentions are, or your purpose, but I feel you are trying to better the situation in Yemen, and if there is anything in my power that I can do to help you help the people of Yemen consider me in. This is my first time visiting your website feel free to e-mail me. Thank You for your time.
Posted by: Hussein at Nov 18, 2009 1:01:52 AM
