Water Shortages Plague Siliana City in Tunisia
Repeated Disruptions in Water Supply Cause Concern Among Residents
Siliana City in Tunisia has been experiencing repeated disruptions in its water supply over the past few weeks, with outages occurring at various times of the day. This situation has sparked widespread concern among residents, who are calling for urgent solutions before the onset of the summer season.
According to Falah Mansouri, a member of the local development council of Siliana Nord, interviewed by the TAP Agency, these recurring interruptions have caused deep discontent among the population. He stated that the outages, which have become almost daily and unpredictable, severely disrupt the lives of citizens, warning of a risk of social tensions if no swift intervention is taken before the summer.
Mansouri also pointed to the deterioration of hydraulic infrastructure and the progressive drying up of wells supplying the city, urging competent authorities to mobilize significant funding to strengthen networks and accelerate connection works.
On the ground, residents confirm an aggravation of the situation. Monia Hammami, a resident of the El Yasmin neighborhood, stated that outages have affected most neighborhoods for nearly a year, transitioning from occasional interruptions to daily shortages, particularly during the day. She noted that water is only restored late at night, forcing families to store reserves to meet their essential needs.
In a separate statement, the regional director of the National Water Distribution Company (SONEDE) in Siliana, Bahaeddine Mohamedi, explained that recent disruptions are linked to failures on two deep wells. The pump of well SI19 has been repaired, while a failure at the Soudal 2 well has led to outages in several neighborhoods, including Ennour, Hached, Merabet, the city center, and Cité Ennajah.
Mohamedi emphasized that the region faces a structural imbalance between water supply and demand, with an estimated deficit of 25 to 30 liters per second. Two new wells are expected to be connected before June to reinforce the supply and limit disruptions.
Furthermore, the official highlighted that the region's aquifers are experiencing significant levels of depletion, exacerbated by prolonged drought and climate change effects. Even new wells show low flow rates, not exceeding 8 liters per second, confirming the long-term fragility of the region's water resources.
Key Points:
- Repeated disruptions in water supply have caused widespread concern among residents in Siliana City, Tunisia.
- The situation is exacerbated by the deterioration of hydraulic infrastructure and the drying up of wells.
- Competent authorities are urged to mobilize significant funding to strengthen networks and accelerate connection works.
- The region faces a structural imbalance between water supply and demand, with an estimated deficit of 25 to 30 liters per second.
- Two new wells are expected to be connected before June to reinforce the supply and limit disruptions.
- The region's aquifers are experiencing significant levels of depletion due to prolonged drought and climate change effects.
