Tunisia Faces Significant Water Resource Challenges
Tunisia is experiencing intense pressure on its water resources, exacerbated by climate change and growing water needs. Traditional approaches to water management are showing their limitations in the face of this structural water stress.
In this context, integrating non-conventional water resources (seawater desalination and treated wastewater reuse) appears to be an essential strategy for developing the country's water supply.
According to Mohamed Salah Glaied, an engineer and water specialist, it is crucial to impose adjustments to ensure the evolution of the hydrological situation within the framework of a development plan that combines mobilizing new resources, modernizing networks, and rationalizing consumption.
Current Water Situation in Tunisia
The Press — How is the current water situation in Tunisia after the recent precipitation? Were the dams able to benefit from these recent rains? Tunisia has been facing a critical phase of water resource development and management for years. These resources are becoming increasingly scarce and poorly managed. In fact, the situation of surface water (dam water) has remained below 30% for over five years.
Currently, and despite the recent precipitation, our dams contain 661 million m3 of water, which is a filling rate of 28% of their current estimated capacity of 2,300 million m3. Only the Mellègue dam received an input of 8 million m3, of which 6 million were transferred to the Sidi Salem reservoir.
Pressures on Water Resources
Tunisia's water resources are under increased anthropogenic pressure due to strong demographic and urban growth, as well as economic development, which drives up water demand, making water increasingly scarce. This situation will potentially be exacerbated by the effects of climate change.
Main Challenges in Water Resource Management
The water sector in our country is facing significant problems and enormous challenges, including:
- Rehabilitation, renewal, renovation, and maintenance of water systems to reduce losses, waste, and degradation of quality.
- Valorization of already mobilized water, creation of new transfer axes based on low energy consumption, and the use of renewable energy while working on underground water storage.
- Protection of groundwater resources, which are subject to extraordinary overexploitation, by implementing a metering system.
- Artificial recharge of aquifers will be a major axis for certain aquifers threatened by salinization and marine intrusion related to the accelerated rise in sea levels.
- Protection of all resources and ecosystems against water pollution by improving wastewater treatment and local reuse of treated wastewater instead of discharging it into the water environment or sea.
Long-term Strategies for Sustainability
To ensure the sustainability of our water resources, it is necessary to:
- Save and protect them against waste and anarchic use by establishing a new water code to replace the 1975 one.
- Promote seawater desalination and renewable energies while finding reliable and sustainable funding sources.
- Quinquennial programs and plans should consider the rehabilitation or modernization of drinking water and irrigation supply equipment and networks, the creation of new dams or the raising of old ones, and the improvement of the quality of treatment of purified water from ONAS stations.
- Promote renewable energies by 2035.
Integrating Climate Change into Water Management Policies
Drought, accompanied by overexploitation of aquifers, pollution of different ecosystems, and various socio-economic conflicts, has revealed the inability to protect water resources and infrastructure, especially since we have limited financial resources.
To ensure sustainability and address the impacts of climate change, it is necessary to:
- Diversify resources with more reasoned desalination projects and promote and improve the quality of treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater.
- Establish a policy of awareness and good use, particularly for the irrigation sector, and for urban and rural drinking water.
