We do not say it enough: the water situation is critical in Tunisia. The succession of five
dry years must have strained the hydraulic systems. Making citizens aware of the threats of a looming crisis and of the importance of rationalizing the consumption of drinking water is the watchword today. Because with an unprecedented rainfall deficit, the country is suffering badly from the lack of water. And this is the ministry
of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fishing who wishes to make this known.
Taking the journalists to witness, the department has just organized a field visit to various hydraulic works, with a group of representatives of several media, in order to expose the current situation of dams in Tunisia. The media tour began with a visit to the Sidi Salem dam, the beating heart of Tunisia’s hydraulic system. Located 8 kilometers from the city of Testour in northwestern Tunisia, the dam, which is located on the Medjerda wadi, provides the drinking water needs of the regions of Greater Tunis, Cap Bon, Sahel and Sfax and the needs in irrigation water for the Greater Tunis and Cap Bon regions.
Ministry officials say that in this exceptionally dry year, rainfall inflows did not exceed 31.8 million m3, were extremely low. The quantities of water stored, to date, barely approach 97 million m3over a maximum retention capacity of 580 million m3, i.e. a filling rate of 17%. Faycel Khemiri, Deputy Director General of Dams and Major Hydraulic Works, at the Ministry of Agriculture, specified that in November 2022, the Sidi Salem dam reached the lowest filling rate (regarding 80 million m3), since its construction in 1981. The reservoirs of the dam are at their lowest. This is unheard of at the Sidi Salem dam. In short, the manager explained that if there is no rainfall during the months of March and April, which are historically relatively rainy months, the room for maneuver will be very limited. The choices to be made, in this case, are not legion. Proper management of available resources is the only possible solution, he said. “We are in a situation of water stress. Few Tunisians know this. If it is not going to rain during these two months, the coming period promises to be very difficult, given the cruel lack of available resources which will be accentuated by the growth in demand for drinking water and irrigation water during the summer and tourist season»averti Khemiri.
The systems of the far north, Tunisia’s water tower
Asked regarding the possibility of rationing water at the level of the governorates served by the Sidi El Barrak dam, the official replied that this decision is taken at the level of the ministry in order to optimize the management of quotas, and this, following consultation regional commissions for agricultural development. Deploring the waste of water and its careless use, Khemiri called on Tunisians to rationalize their consumption, saying that the rainfall deficit compared to the last three years was estimated at more than 510 million m3. According to the official, Tunisia is not immune to the effects of climate change which is affecting the whole world with full force and which is aggravating water stress. For the Ministry of Agriculture, there are not thirty-six thousand solutions. It must make good use of the quantities available and manage shortages, while giving priority to the preservation of agricultural heritage. The good news is that the reservoirs of the dams in the far north which constitute Tunisia’s water tower are at a satisfactory filling rate. “It is the hydraulic system of the Far North that will allow us to meet our drinking water needs. If we didn’t tighten our belts – even if it was at the expense of agriculture – maybe in July and August we would have risked not seeing any more tap water flowing”, warned for his part, Sleh Nouissi, responsible for the ministry. Department of Water teams say they are working hard to improve the dams’ retention capacity. Indeed, several dam raising projects aimed at compensating for the loss of storage induced by siltation are being developed.
Dredging and modernization
The Laâroussia dam was the second structure visited. Built in 1954, the dam was designed to divert, through the Oued Medjerda-Cap Bon canal, the waters of the Medjerda towards Cap Bon and then towards the Sahel. The dam, which was dry, is the subject of dredging operations which aim, according to Chaker Ben Zid, engineer at the North Canal and Water Supply Company (Secaen), to meet the needs of inhabitants with drinking water and irrigation water during peak consumption. Given the very low filling level of the Sidi Salem dam, the waters of which supply the Laâroussia structure, the latter is currently closed. The Greater Tunis, Cap Bon and Sahel regions are currently supplied with drinking water via the Far North system, particularly the Sejnane dam. In addition, the Laaroussia structure is currently being modernized and rehabilitated. According to Ben Zid, this is a project for a total amount of 67 million dinars, which started in 2020 and which is spread over 36 months. Financed by the State in partnership with the German Development Bank KFW, the project, which is at a completion rate of 55%, is implemented by the company Hydrokarst in partnership with Afrique Travaux.
Water quality meets international standards
The journalists then went to the Sonede Ghdir El Golla station to discover the stages of treatment of the water transferred through the Medjerda-Cap Bon canal. Ranging from peroxidation, through slow sand filtration to sterilization, Monâm Chaouchi, regional director of production at Sonede, explained that the quality of water treated and distributed via Sonede’s networks complies with international and national standards. “The turbidity rate of the water treated in this station does not exceed 1.5 NTU”, he pointed out. He added that the complex produces regarding 500 thousand m3 of water per day. Production can reach, 700 m3 depending on the season and remains dependent on the amount of water transferred through the canal. The circuit ended, finally, with a visit to the new Fondouk Jedid pumping station in Nabeul which will replace the old station which has become dilapidated (it supplies Sonede with drinking water and the regional agricultural police stations of Nabeul, Ben Arous and Tunis in irrigation water), aims to meet the growing demand for water and increase the pumping power by 8.5 m3 per second at 12.5. This new station will be ready in November 2023.