Yemen Monitor / Aden / Exclusive:
On Saturday, the Al-Haswa area in Yemen’s interim capital, Aden, witnessed a humanitarian disaster after massive floods swept through the Al-Haswa Valley, which had not experienced flooding of this scale since 1982. The torrents submerged homes and completely cut off residential neighborhoods.
Aerial footage showed floodwaters spreading across Al-Haswa and Bir Ahmed, where many houses had been built inside the wide valley bed without official permits, leaving them immediately exposed to the torrents rushing down from the Al-Sabiha highlands through Enma.
Local sources reported that floodwaters swept away a car carrying seven people in Al-Haswa; three were rescued, while the fate of the other four remains unknown.
The floods forced more than 90% of the area’s residents into immediate displacement, while Civil Defense teams continued evacuation operations, sometimes using force to protect the lives of those refusing to leave their homes.
The Yemeni Geological Survey and Mineral Resources Authority in Aden warned of further risks, particularly as waters returned to the Al-Haswa Valley course. With the soil now saturated, any new rainfall in the northern highlands could trigger rapid runoff toward the city, causing even greater disasters.
The authority noted that it had previously conducted a scientific study entitled: “Hydrological Modeling for Flood Risk Assessment and Mitigation Using Remote Sensing and GIS – Case Study of Aden Governorate.” The study, carried out in coordination with local authorities and under the supervision of the Ministry of Oil and Minerals, had explicitly warned of such a catastrophic scenario. It analyzed the morphometric and hydrological characteristics of the drainage basins, estimated flood volumes, peak flows, and arrival times, and proposed scientific measures to reduce risks across Aden’s valleys—particularly the major valley—and covered all districts of the governorate.
The scale of the disaster raises questions as to why local authorities have not declared the lower Wadi Tuban basin, extending to Aden, a disaster zone, given that the damages exceed local capacities and require urgent intervention at both national and international levels to mitigate the crisis.
Meteorological experts stressed the importance of enforcing the designated protection zones of the main valley, as outlined in the Geological Authority’s study, and imposing them through the rule of law—highlighting their crucial role in protecting lives and property and preventing future disasters.
