In Al Mujelis, on coastal Yemen, annual floods were the main source of groundwater recharge. With the construction of bid diversion structures upstream, this recharge stopped downstream in Al Mujelis and groundwater tables fell rapidly.
The annual sndstorms then took over the area and sand dunes buried farms and date orchards that were the main source of livelihoods. There has been constant out-migration ever since. The local population has fallen by 80%.
