The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been forced to purchase emergency “stopgap” fuel in order to stop two cities in war-torn Yemen from completely running out of drinking water.

Last week, Saudi Arabia lifted a blockade on Houthi rebel-controlled parts of the country, allowing some aid to resume. Riyadh leads an Arab coalition in the civil war fighting on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government.

However, the UN and various aid organisations have warned that more than 7 million people in Yemen are living on the brink of famine, and, without access to commercial imports such as fuel, millions more lives are in danger.

Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year

Without unfettered access to goods such as fuel generators, which power hospitals, and treated drinking water, the country is still on track for a large-scale famine.

The fuel shortage is now “critical”, with water systems in nine cities left without fuel to run pumps, ICRC spokesperson Iolanda Jaquemet said on Wednesday.

More than a dozen health facilities have already been forced to close for lack of water.

“As a last resort and in light of the large and urgent needs… we are purchasing fuel to supply the urban water corporations in Hodeida and Taiz with fuel, enough to operate their water pumps for one month,” she told Reuters.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

The lack of fuel has a “cascading impact on several vital sectors”, Ms Jaquemet added.

Prices of food as well as fuel have risen sharply as a result of the recent three-week long blockade, the World Food Programme said last week.

It is estimated an additional 3.2 million people have been pushed into hunger as a result.

More than 20 million Yemenis – two-thirds of the population – have become reliant on humanitarian help since the civil war erupted in March 2015.

More than 10,000 people have died in the conflict to date as a result of violence, the world’s largest cholera epidemic, starvation and other diseases. Aid agencies warn the true statistics are likely to be much higher.

The Saudi blockade was put in place as a retaliation to a rebel Houthi missile that was intercepted near the Saudi capital of Riyadh on 4 November.

Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons.

Saudi Arabia and its regional partners have justified an extensive bombing campaign on the Shia Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Kingdom’s regional rival, Iran.

The intense air strikes have, in some cases, targeted hospitals and funeral gatherings.