Water is a basic necessity that should be available at any moment for every human being on this earth. Over the coming years, water will become a luxury rather than a basic necessity due to the dramatic rise of water demand and scarcity around the world. A prime example of a country that is currently witnessing this horrific scenario is Yemen. Water scarcity is currently a problem that is on the rise in Yemen and the majority of the population are affected by it. Around eighty percent of the Yemeni population are just above or below the poverty line. This means that the majority of the Yemeni population do not have access to water in their homes or even clean drinking water. This tragic situation has been exacerbated with the decisions that the Yemeni people have chosen to do and unfortunate occurrences. Examples of these decisions and occurrences would be continuing the farming of the "Qat" leaf, irresponsibly neglecting rainwater, and the rapid increase of the population every year. Furthermore, if these problems do not come to a solution in the coming years, Yemen may well be the first country in the world to run out of water completely.
The Qat leaf has been in the Yemeni culture for many hundreds of generations and it has done nothing but harm the Yemeni people economically and medically. Unfortunately, a vast majority of the Yemeni population chew Qat regularly and they are unaware of the health hazards that it could potentially cause them. An article written about Qat on the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that, "There are a number of adverse physical effects including tooth decay and periodontal disease; gastrointestinal disorders" (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2013). This shows only some of the diseases that could be caused from heavy usage of Qat. In addition, the leaf could also cause, "irregular heart-beat, decreased blood flow, and heart attack" (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2013).
