Yemen’s crumbling roads mean an arduous quest for water for Taiz villagers

Taiz, Yemen – Hiring a minibus to the Ragem village market, 70km (45 miles) from Taiz, has become a daily challenge for commuters from outlying areas.Drivers routinely decline trips to these rugged areas due to unpaved roads, which make them impossible to reach for any vehicle bar larger four-wheel-drive cars.Hiring one of these costs more than triple a bus fare, forcing many residents to make a difficult 6km (4-mile) trek to the market by foot.“We offer them double the regular fare, but they still refuse. Only drivers from our village agree because they understand our suffering,” Abdullah al-Azazi, 31, told Al Jazeera.“Imagine workers and students who have to leave the village every day. They either walk daily or spend a fortune on transportation.”The 7,600 people who live in Ragem and its surrounding hamlets routinely face difficult transport decisions, while there are also challenges transporting supplies – including water – to these settlements.Authorities in Taiz responsible for infrastructure said they lack the resources to pave these roads. After appeals to humanitarian organisations for help went unheeded, members of the community took matters into their own hands, and thre...