Problems and challenges faced in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene were discussed at length by participants of the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis Conference yesterday, the second day of the event.
The conference, organised by Qatar Charity (QC) in partnership with 13 regional and international organisations, concludes today.  
On its second day, the conference featured discussions on water, sanitation, livelihoods, economic empowerment, shelter, security and co-ordination.
During the workshops on water, sanitation and hygiene, the participants discussed the challenges facing these sectors, and the available rehabilitation and amendment opportunities.
The papers warned about the damage water networks in all big cities might incur if the fuel necessary for their operations was not available, or the problems in the networks were not fixed. These networks provide 25% of the Yemeni population with water.  
The workshops also discussed how the sanitation sector in urban areas was facing a greater challenge than in rural areas. Deficiencies in sanitation and hygiene have led to the spread of diseases.
For instance, diarrhoea has spread, the risk of cholera has increased and more people are affected by scabies and enteric worms.
The workshops’ papers highlighted the achievements in the fields of water, sanitation and hygiene throughout the current crisis. These include the establishment of a joint fund for humanitarian finance in Yemen. However, it is only 41.76% financed ($41,862,000) and there is a gap of 58.24%.
According to figures announced during the workshops at the conference, 19,400,000 Yemenis need help; 9,800,000 of them have recently been added to the list because of the conflict.
The figures also show that 7,400,000 people need urgent help in terms of water and sanitation at a budget of around $158,400,000.
Supporting the fuel sector requires $21,300,000 so as to cover the needs of 4,400,000 people only. The water infrastructure requires $48,600,000 to provide for the requirements of 3,600,000 people.
The economic empowerment and livelihoods workshop discussed the extent of destruction suffered and the nature of challenges currently faced. In addition, it proposed some solutions to alleviate the sufferings of people there.
The data showed that 1,800,000 job opportunities were lost because of damage caused to Social Fund for Development projects and another 71,000 in public works projects.
The figures also showed that 123 projects that belonged to the Social Fund for Development were destroyed and 52 others for public works. The Social Care Fund stopped offering aid to more than 1,500,000 poor people.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that 95% of the companies were shut down, while 77% of firms in the private sector were entirely destroyed. The services of more than 70% of workers in that sector were terminated.
Meanwhile, the money needed for intervention in the livelihood sector amounted to over $112,000,000.
The participants emphasised the importance of allocating certain amounts of money to support fishermen and farmers. They also discussed the importance comprehensive intervention for the benefit of all targeted as part of humanitarian aid programmes.
Further, they  highlighted the importance of providing temporary job opportunities for employees and affected workers by involving them in humanitarian relief projects; mainly in their own societies by making use of their expertise and skills.
Foad al-Muzan’i, ambassador and adviser of the Secretary General of Humanitarian Affairs at the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, headed the last workshop, which discussed co-ordination between local and international organisations and the possible mechanism of improvement.