Burning rubbish chokes besieged Yemeni city of Taiz

Rubbish is piling up and being burned in Taiz, Yemen, as fighting and a Houthi siege prevent sanitation trucks from reaching the city’s main landfill. The resulting smoke and foul odours are affecting residential areas, exposing residents to health risks and underscoring the wider breakdown of basic services.

Waste collection has been disrupted since early October, with workers reporting gunfire near the landfill and fuel shortages further hampering their work. Taiz produces 550 to 600 tonnes of rubbish daily, while the UN says road closures are restricting essential supplies, water production has halved and the health system is close to collapse; the World Food Programme warns that conflict has cut off life-saving assistance to 800,000 people.