UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Taiz City is running out of basic goods as a result of access constraints, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned Wednesday.
Cargo transporters carrying flour and other staple foods on which Taiz markets depend have pulled their trucks back to the Al-Farsha area, where they sit stranded, said OCHA, adding that prices of essential items in the city have risen by as much as fivefold.
The collection of waste has also ground to a halt, with trucks prevented from reaching dumping sites. Piles of rubbish are building up across the city, increasing the risk of disease, the office said.
Almost 310,000 people have now been displaced since the escalation of the latest round of hostilities in early August, said OCHA.
Humanitarian partners continue to reach people in need across Yemen. Since August, nearly 190,000 people have received food aid, and nearly 140,000 have received emergency cash assistance. Partners working in health have now reached more than 9,000 displaced people through 60 mobile teams and health points and have supported 72 hospitals, the office said.
The UN Refugee Agency says that nearly 5,400 newly displaced families have been registered for humanitarian cash assistance, and that 4,200 have received it. The agency has also provided cash for shelter to more than 2,100 families in the cities of Aden, Abyan and Lahj, and has 3,000 relief kits en route to Aden.
Shelter remains a pressing need. Approximately 37,000 families are still awaiting shelter support, while 32,000 are awaiting basic household items. Since early August, 28 displacement sites have opened or reopened, accommodating more than 20,000 people, according to OCHA.
"The UN reiterates its call for the protection of civilians and for safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access, particularly to communities increasingly isolated by ongoing hostilities," the office said. ■
