Vehicles and trucks loaded with food and water move gingerly along the steep, unpaved mountain road that connects the Ahem Market to all the Al-Sudha villages in Kushar district in Yemen's Hajjah governorate.
For people living in Bani-Shahr, ordinary daily activities are challenging, especially during rainy seasons when the road becomes impassable. The road is the sole lifeline for residents, but transporting food, water and other essential items has become extremely complicated. This time-consuming and costly path forced people to resort to using donkeys to traverse the difficult terrains.
People in Al-Sirat called this road ‘Death Road’. Its ruggedness and the absence of gabions were blamed for many tragic accidents that have claimed numerous lives.
“The road in the Al-Sirat area connects more than five villages; however, the rugged route has had a serious impact on residents, resulting in tremendous problems. People struggle to transport food, obtain water and access medical services, and they incur enormous costs for transportation like sending patients to hospitals,” says Ahmed Al-Shehri, 43, who lives in the area.
Many lives have been lost along a particularly treacherous slope called ‘Al-Sirat’. Al-Shehri recalls three tragic traffic accidents that resulted in many causalities, one of which killed four people from the same family while they were taking someone to hospital.
The danger and suffering intensified during the rainy season as the road became impassable, leaving these villages completely isolated. “The road gets blocked when it rains, so people resort to using donkeys to transport food and other necessities,” says Al-Shehri. “Some have left their villages because they cannot obtain necessities. For example, the price of one water tanker has reached YER 60,000 (US$100).”
Responding to residents’ pleas for a solution, the Public Works Project (PWP) performed a site study and met with residents to determine their priority needs. “The two parties agreed to pave the rocky parts of the road, estimated at 11 kilometres long,” says Hamdi Sallam, PWP’s Assistant Director for the Sub-District in Hajjah.
“This project not only helped citizens overcome difficulties, but it also created local job opportunities. They gained skills and expertise from participating in the road construction, paving, etc.,” he explains. “People’s persistence and cooperation to overcome difficulties have contributed to completing the first phase of the project within four months.”
Al-Sirat Road was a nightmare for people, especially car and truck drivers. "Before PWP intervened and paved the roads and built gabions, people really suffered. The situation has now improved, and the road has become safer," he adds.
According to the Assistant Director of PWP Sub-District, the community still faces additional challenges as not all the roadwork has been completed. "The 11-kilometre-long project requires a second phase that must eventually be completed," he explains.
"The first phase of the project has had a positive and multifaceted impact on people, reducing the cost of transporting food, water and other essentials.” He indicates that “after paving this road, passengers’ transportation fees went down from YER 5,000 ($8) to YER 2,000 ($3.5).”
Ahmed Qarou, a 39-year-old resident of the Bani-Shahr area, says "the project has changed the situation for the better and helped improve transportation, particularly transporting patients who require urgent medical care.” He notes that people now worry less and the costs of transporting basic materials and water were reduced, allowing community members to save money to buy other necessities.
“After the road was paved, we are suffering less,” says Al-Shehri. “We’ve changed the name of the road from ‘Death Road’ to ‘Safe Road’.”
© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
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