Virtue out of Necessity: Yemen’s Lessons on Resilience and Infrastructure Planning

When civil war erupted in late 2014, Yemen’s already unreliable electricity grid quickly collapsed. Sana`a’s water utility struggled to pump groundwater for the 4 million people in the capital, and its residents turned to diesel generators. When the Saudi-led embargo subsequently constrained the supply of fuel, the sun became the energy source of last resort. Sana`a’s new solar installations fit well into the landscape, as shiny rooftop solar units were already commonplace. Households wanting more power used small in-house diesel generators or purchased energy from new neighborhood-based electricity vendors. Nowadays, solar panels are used in pumping stations of utility-held or private water wells, schools, and hospitals. For most Yemenis in the conflict-ridden areas, the central electricity grid is a distant memory. Yemenis’ ability to adapt is unsurprising. Conflict and necessity often prompt adaptation, self-organization, and vibrant markets for alternative supply. But Yemen’s experience holds more profound lessons. It demonstrates the importance of strengthening adaptations at the local level and harnessing them during the design of new infrastructure. State planners and international organizations looking to rehabilitate Yemeni infrastructure should embed local adaptations into longer-term plans, rather than simply recreating the old and unreliable centralized system.