They have natural gas, and an ocean... but they have a shortage of water? Desalination is a decades old technology. To use it you need ocean water and gas turbines. Then you have natural gas and clean, potable water.
What is wrong with the rulers that they can’t solve a problem any 12 year old with an internet connection couldn’t solve?
Evidently the cost moving the water inland is to high, but they still may not have a choice.
http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=958&p=health&a=1
http://www.desertec.org/downloads/proposal_sanaa.pdf
http://www.giay.org/GIA/invopp.php?langid=1&id=31
:’)