Tunisia is witnessing a worsening water crisis as the demand exceeds the available supply, reported the Tunis Afrique Presse this week.
“The reserves of Tunisian dams have reached their lowest levels in different regions in the country,” Chawki Ben Mansour, central director of the National Company of Water Exploitation and Distribution (SONEDE), said.
The water reserves stored at Tunisian dams are estimated at around 720 million cubic meters, recorded a regression of around 200 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year, Mansour said, calling on citizens to support water-saving policies. Prices for water went up 16% this year, while prices for consumers stayed stable.
Mansour said that SONEDE launched a water awareness campaign a week ago to inform citizens of the severe drinking water situation caused by the drought and lack of rainfall.
A heat wave in Tunisia in 2012 saw SONEDE putting consumers before commercial clients as the region experienced a heat wave. Climate change is expected to make the region more susceptible to drought and water shortages, pressing more migrants to flee to Europe as refugees. Read here to get a handle on some of the environmental problems and solutions happening in Tunisia.
According to Euronews is also a ban on using drinking water to wash cars, clean streets or public places and water green areas: “Anyone who breaks these restrictions faces penalties that range from fines to imprisonment for up to six months.”
