Sanaa’s green spaces ravaged by war
Yemen has lost a lot of its trees, shrubs and flowers since the beginning of the war in 2015, in what could make matters worse for Yemenis haunted by the specter of starvation.
SANAA, Yemen — In addition to the devastating human cost, the Yemeni capital Sanaa has lost 40% of its trees, green spaces and flowers since the beginning of the war in March 2015.
With an area of 390 square kilometers (150 square miles), Sanaa is home to around 2 million people as per unofficial 2010 estimates — the latest available — but an increase in population has been registered due to waves of internal displacement caused by the war.
According to a report issued by the Task Force on Population Movements in July, the number of internally displaced people reached 1.98 million, 25% of whom live in Sanaa.
Mohammed al-Namri, the representative of the municipalities and parks affairs in the Sanaa municipality, told Al-Monitor, “The total number of green spaces and trees in Sanaa does not exceed 8% of Sanaa’s area, which is a low rate compared to the area and population density, and we unfortunately lost up to 40% of that area since the beginning of the war to date.”
