Tunisia is in a precarious water situation, with an alarming 420 cubic meters of water per inhabitant per year.
As dam levels continue to fall and water stress increases, this resource is becoming scarcer by the day. While we tend, rightly or wrongly, to blame the casual and irresponsible behavior of citizens, the authorities also bear some responsibility.
In this respect, the National Observatory for Agriculture (ONAGRI) has indicated that, thanks to recent rainfall, the level of dams reached 23.27% on January 1, 2025, although the water situation remains critical.
According to ONAGRI’s daily statistics on the situation of the dams, the water stock on that date amounted to 544 million cubic meters (m3), collected in 36 dams with a total storage capacity of 2 billion 337 million m3.
In its analysis, ONAGRI stresses the need to remain vigilant despite the improvement in water inflows into dams, pointing out that the water situation in Tunisia requires sustainable and responsible management of water resources.
By December 27, 2024, the level of dams had reached 22.5%. The dams continue to receive water inflows, thus increasing water reserves. In fact, the daily inflows amounted to 5.4 million m³, bringing the current stock to 526.9 million m³.
Enormous challenges
With its arid and semi-arid climate and rapid population and economic growth, Tunisia faces significant water management challenges.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Tunisia is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, with water availability of less than 400 cubic meters per person per year, well below the water stress standard of 1,000 cubic meters per person per year.
Tunisia also faces water quality problems, with high levels of groundwater and surface water pollution. Natural water sources are often overexploited and depleted, leading to a decline in the quantity and quality of available water.
The state has implemented a number of policies and programs to improve water management, including the construction of dams and desalination plants, the adoption of more efficient irrigation techniques and the promotion of sustainable water management practices. However, much remains to be done to ensure the efficient and sustainable use of water in Tunisia.
UTAP calls for dialogue
The Technical Committee for Planning and Exploration in the Water Sector, which reports to the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), has called for a dialogue between the organization and the Ministry of Agriculture as soon as possible in order to find urgent solutions to ensure better management of available water resources in a fair and equitable manner and to guarantee the sustainability of the agricultural sector in the face of climate change, as well as maintaining food security.
During a recent meeting, the committee examined the water situation and its negative impact on Tunisian agriculture following successive years of drought and the lack of alternatives to reduce the impact of climate change on production systems, UTAP said in a press release.
The committee considered that the high rate (50%) of irrigation water loss, the record decline in water reserves in dams due to residues and lack of maintenance are the main factors in the waste of water resources.
It also warned that the complexity of the administrative procedures for granting permits to drill wells, once the technical procedures have been completed, is a major obstacle to the sustainability of agricultural production and the preservation of crops that cannot withstand water scarcity.
