වැස්සෙනුත් බැට කන සනා නගරය

Yemen's UNESCO-listed historic Sanaa buildings collapse after rainstorms

Concerns are mounting in Yemen after a month of heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding has led to parts of the historic Old City of Sanaa collapsing, amid fears that the ancient site could face more damage if action is not taken.

Built approximately 2,500 years ago, the Old City of Sanaa is known as one of the world's oldest cities and boasts over 6,000 historical buildings, many of which are still in use today.

In 1986, it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), cementing its global status as a key historical center.

The city was already under threat from years of civil war, but the continuous spell of heavy rains have now brought a more pressing danger, resulting in massive water leakages and structural instability, with several old constructions already collapsing.

With several streets already strewn with rubble and debris clogging up in the partially collapsed buildings, one local warned that the situation could be set to get even worse if the necessary clear-up work isn't carried out quickly.

"This is the old house of my family, and it dates back hundreds of years. It collapsed, along with our neighbor's house. If we do not clear up this debris and repair the houses, the five adjacent houses will all be at risk," said Salah Al-Jalal, the owner of one of the collapsed buildings.

Ever since the Yemen crisis erupted in 2011, the level of government investment in preserving historical relics has dropped drastically. In addition, the Old City of Sanaa suffering bombings during the ensuing conflicts, leading to it being listed by UNESCO as a 'World Heritage Site in Danger' in 2015.

Officials have warned of the scale of the problem and say that preservation efforts were already challenging enough, while the threat posed following the prolonged period of rainstorms has only exacerbated the situation.

"Currently, over 2,000 buildings in the Old City of Sanaa are damaged. It is not only due to the heavy rains, but also the previous warfare and a lack of maintenance. The heavy monsoon rains have worsened the damages. I mean, the old city has already been damaged, and we are trying to repair it every year. But the rain this year has been too much," said Rashad Al-Maqtari, Undersecretary of the General Authority for the Preservation of Historic Cities for Technical Affairs of Yemen.

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