Test Drive | Page 193

Chapter  10:  Findings     “Too   much   centralization   is   what   made   things   worse.   Digging   a   surface   well   takes   5   days.   By   the   time,   the   complaint   is   processed   through   government   bureaucracy,   if   any,   the   wells  are  already  dug  and  in  use.”     the   Government’s   claim   that   it   ‘recognises   the   importance   of   water   [as]   only   second   to   national   security’.   The   root   causes   of   the   conflict   often   remain  unaddressed.   Abdullah  Assarari,  Almaafer  District  Director       In   a   few   cases   (the   Wadi   Seham   cases   and   in   the   Bani  Matar  case  in  Sana’a)  governmental  institutions  were  asked  to  intervene.  In  these  cases  the  institutions   were   already   closely   involved   in   the   water   management.   In   two   of   the   cases   in   Ta’izz,   parties   attempted   to   solve  the  conflicts  through  official  institutions  such  as  courts.  In  all  of  these  cases  it  is  unknown  if  formal  law   played   a   role   in   the   resolution   of   the   conflict,   even   in   the   case   that   went   to   court   (Person   94   vs   Qassem).   Nevertheless,   in   the   cases   of   Ta’izz,   neither   party   trusts   the   courts   ,   due   to   corruption   and/or   political   networks.  As  a  result,  the  legitimacy  and  effectiveness  of  the  legal  system  is  questionable.  Where  Government   organizations   are   called   in   to   mediate   in   disputes,   it   concerns   local   Government   or   NWRA.   The   roles   are,   however, *6