Skidding accidents are an almost daily occurrence in al-khayasheen hill road in the district of qabytah in the governorate of lahj. Cars and small and heavy trucks would skid off this unpaved road causing a number of tragic accidents and loss of lives. This off-track road gained significance after the main rahidah - anad highway closed due to the ongoing conflict in yemen.
Local residents and idp›s had been frustrated and thought that the problem was unsolvable- given the current crises in yemen and lack of financial resources to repair the road. But pwp brought glad tidings to both the local residents and idp›s in the area, especially since no one expected that something like this can happen under these exceptional circumstances.
The Only Lifeline
The Dhamaran, Rukab, Al-Khayasheen, Hanakah road is now the only lifeline connecting the three governorates of Taiz, Lahj and Aden, according to truck driver Abdul-Jaili Nasser. He confirms that this road is now the only road used for the transport of goods, passengers and IDP’s from Taiz to Lahj and on to Aden because of the closure of the main Rahidah – Anad highway due the ongoing fighting.
Driver Abdul-Jalil Nasser praised the intervention by PWP to pave Al-Khayasheen road, which he said was now a busy road accommodating 200 vehicles a day and is used to transport much needed goods, fuel, passengers and IDP’s.
IDP’s
The pavement project left a direct positive impact on IDP’s in the area. In addition to 11500 people living in nearby villages, there are an estimated 570 IDP’s staying in the area too.
Mazen Mohamed Ali Sa’ad, a local resident, said the pavement of the road by PWP has reduced the hardships and tragedies for the residents of the area and IDP’s when moving to Lahj and further on to Aden. It has reduced the number of accidents and eased the flow of traffic and movement of IDP’s between Taiz, Lahj and Aden, he said.
The Problem
The target section of the road in the PWP intervention begins at the asphalted road and goes though a sharp turn that extends towards a steep downhill path. This part of the road was unpaved and it caused vehicles to skid downhill, especially passenger vehicles and trucks laden with goods.
PWP’s intervention includes the construction of a retainer wall at the start of the turn, a section 50 meters long. It also carried out backfills and leveling of an area around 450 square meters. The photos shows that more than 20 vehicles have skidded off the road.
Victims
The tragedy is exacerbated when the road causes loss of lives, especially amongst the same people who are running for their lives from conflict zones. This is exactly what happened to the family of Ziad Abdullah, a local resident of Qabaytah, when he was killed together with two members of his family in a car crash in Rukbat Al-Khayasheen road.