Test Drive | Page 196

Chapter  10:  Findings     monitors   find   any   illegal   drilling   case   they   investigate,   make   a   record   and   notify   the   local   council   and   the   district  security  forces,  and  request  that  the  drilling  be  halted.  Subsequently,  the  rig  owner  and  the  well  owner   are  apprehended  and  delivered  to  the  prosecution  service.  Meanwhile,  the  branches  send  the  record  to  the   district   prosecution   in   order   to   proceed   with   the   case   and   those   arrested   proceed   to   the   court.   After   that,   the   branch  lawyers  can  follow  it  up  in  the  court.       In  reality,  due  to  many  causes,  only  very  very  few  cases  could  enter  to  the  court.  One  of  the  main  reasons  is   the   high   reluctance   by   the   district   security   forces   and   prosecution   to   enforce   the   Water   Law.   For   example,   approximately   29   illegal   drilling   cases   were   recorded   in   the   first   three   months   of   2013   in   the   Sana'a   basin.   However,  only  one  or  two  finally  entered  the  court  system.  The  efficiency  of  the  respective  NWRA  Branches   plays   a   vital   role   in   these   figures.   For   instance,   the   number   of   illegal   drilling   cases   recorded   by   the   NWRA   Sana’a  Branch  shows  a  drop  between  2010  and  2012.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  illegal  drilling  have  declined,   but   rather   that   the   monitoring   activities   were   very   limited   during   that   period   due   to   the   financial   limitation   and  instability  at  that  time.     Water   conflicts   are   different   from   the   above-­‐mentioned   illegal   drilling   cases.   These   conflicts   between   water   users  are  rarely  brought  to  the  NWRA  or  any  other  agency.  Even  when  reported  by  one  of  the  parties  to  the   district   security   services,   they   are   recorded   as   civil   conflicts   rather   than   water   conflicts.   The   cases   that   eventually  do  go  to  court  are  those  that  local  communities  are  unable  to  solve.  Many  of  the  court  decisions   issued,  do  not  rely  on  the  Water  Law,  but  on  the  property  of  land.       Water-­‐related   conflicts,   which   involve   killing   and   are   brought   before   the   criminal   court,   provide   a   limited   insight  into  the  occurrence  of  water  conflicts  in  Yemen.  According  to  an  estimate  based  on  the  criminal  court   100 cases,  each  year  2,500  people  die  as  a  result  of  a  water  related  conflict.  It  is,  however,  unclear  how  many   cases  are  ultimately  decided  by  the  courts.  Approximately  one-­‐third  of  the  cases  brought  before  the  Criminal   Court  (and  thus  involve  killing)  are  water  related  cases.     Sustainability  of  dispute  resolutions     Although  some  conflict  cases  were  characterized  by  violence,  the  majority  of  the  stakeholders  do  not  have  an   interest  in  resorting  to  violence  as  a  means  to  forcefully  settle  a  conflict.  It  is  likely  that  the  outcome  of  such  an   activity   brings   too   much   uncertainty   and   comes  with  too  many  costs  to  be  a  means   “Twisted   peaceful   settlement   is   better   than   for   settling   a   conflict   over   water.   Most   functioning  Shariah”     stakeholders   have   an   interest   in   a   A   local   saying   indicating   how   little   trust   people   have   in   harmonious   settlement   of   the   c