No Rain That Day, Yet Water Stood Still
La Goulette, Tunisia – February 9 2026
A Growing Threat Along Avenue Habib‑Bourguiba
It didn’t rain that day. Still, in several spots along Avenue Habib‑Bourguiba in La Goulette, water pooled as if a night of torrential downpours had just passed. The tide rose enough to force residents to stay indoors and merchants to close their shutters.
What once would have been an exceptional event is now routine. In recent years—especially this season, marked by strong winds and intense precipitation—the phenomenon has become recurrent.
“The spectacle on the corniche has become familiar, almost banal, but always worrying,” reports La Presse.
Waves strike harder and more often. On windy days, foam leaps over the protective barriers, and water invades places where it is not welcome.
A Historical Perspective
Older Goulettois recall that in the 1960s the sea already reached Roosevelt Street. Confronted with erosion, a massive project was launched to protect La Goulette and much of the northern Tunisian suburbs (Kram, Salammbô, Carthage). This gave birth to the new corniche, conceived as a bulwark against the sea’s advance.
More than half a century later, the sea seems determined to reclaim what it once owned. In the meantime, the city has changed. Buildings now hug the shoreline—often ground floor plus four stories—drawn by promises of unobstructed views and “feet‑in‑the‑water” apartments.
Building face‑to‑face with the sea means accepting its moods, its anger, and its whims. The sea is not a static backdrop; it moves, it pushes, it wants its place back.
Each heavy‑rain season reminds us that concrete alone cannot always contain the force of waves nor the silent erosion that weakens even the sturdiest foundations.
Expert Warning: Up to 7 % of Tunisia’s Coast at Risk
Environmental experts are unequivocal: if the current trend continues, up to 7 % of Tunisia’s coastline could be submerged in the coming decades.
“Neighbourhoods in Greater Tunis, the Cap Bon peninsula, and northern Sfax are exposed,” warned environmental specialist Hamdi Hached in a recent radio statement.
In response, experts are issuing repeated alerts, urging a rethink of urban planning, reinforcement of coastal infrastructure, and protection of natural zones that can absorb the sea’s fury.
Government Action: The “Blue Belt” Initiative
On Monday, February 9 2026, the Minister of the Environment announced the launch of a provisional program dubbed “Blue Belt” (Ceinture bleue). The initiative aims to strengthen coastal protection against erosion and climate‑induced disturbances.
Key features of the Blue Belt:
- A true coastal bulwark built through a partnership of the state, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society.
- Mobilisation of resources to complement the limited capacities of the National Agency for Coastal Protection and Development, which currently struggles to secure hundreds of kilometres of exposed shoreline on its own.
While the announcements are structurally sound, they must quickly translate into on‑the‑ground actions. In La Goulette and elsewhere, the sea no longer gives warnings—it simply advances. The stagnant water that now gathers without rain, right in the heart of cities, already sounds an alarm.
Further Reading
Read also: According to Ameur Bahba, “the sea’s advance is a natural phenomenon.”
Keywords: La Goulette, sea erosion, coastal protection, Tunisia, climate change, Blue Belt initiative, coastal urban planning, Hamdi Hached, environmental risk.
