Photo: Bassem Akram Habtoor | Egab
As a boy, Adham Saleh came to Pelican Lake Reserve each winter to watch pelicans and flamingos. But today, as an intercity bus driver, he sees shriveled plastic bags, abandoned bottles, and construction rubble - but no birds. For centuries, thousands of birds stopped for a layover here each year as they migrated from Europe to Africa and Asia and in 2006, Yemen’s government declared a 110-hectare (270-acre) wetland to be a critical breeding ground. By the late 2000s, however, Aden’s wetlands were being sucked dry for farms and construction. In late 2014, things spiraled into all-out civil war and wastewater went untreated, rubbish uncollected, and sewage unprocessed. Occasionally over the last decade, residents have organized community cleanups or small awareness campaigns. But these efforts will be a drop in the bucket unless Aden’s government and local environmental groups take more initiative – and bring more money.
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