Tunisia is facing a worsening water crisis, with demand outstripping available supply. Reserves in dams have fallen to their lowest levels in several regions.
Drought has plagued the country for the past five years. Studies seem to confirm the persistence of the drought and a significant reduction in rainfall. This prolonged drought naturally affects the availability of water, both for drinking and for irrigation.
According to the latest statistics from National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI), the filling rate of dams reached 23.3% on January 9, 2025, with reserves of around 546.040 million m3, compared with an average of 751.529 million m3 over the last three years.
This rate is estimated at 17% for the Sidi Salem dam (Beja) and 38% for the Sidi el-Barrak dam (Beja), the two largest dams in Tunisia.
Call to declare a water emergency in the country
It should also be noted that the Tunisian Water Observatory had called for a state of water emergency to be declared and for the necessary financial resources to be mobilized to help those affected by the situation, particularly small farmers.
The organization said that the decision to ration water did not reflect a change in national water policy.
It urged the authorities to clarify the decisions taken and to respect the cut-off times previously announced as part of the quota system.
Abdallah Rabhi, former Secretary of State for water resources and an expert in the field, also called for a state of drought to be declared.
The government must act proactively and take measures commensurate with the challenges facing the country. If we wait until next February, we won’t have enough room to manoeuvre,’ he warned.
In response to this alarming situation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries took measures for the first time in March 2023 to stagger the distribution of drinking water and began cutting off water supplies at night in many areas, as part of a system designed to plan water distribution and ensure its consumption in different parts of the country, as well as “preventing its use in agriculture and irrigation”.
This is in addition to green areas, street cleaning and car washing, due to the severe drought that has left dams almost empty.
The relevant department has approved fines and prison sentences of up to six months for offenders.
The government believes that one of the priorities for the next stage is to ‘rationalize water consumption and put pressure on demand in all sectors, in addition to using non-traditional resources’, including seawater desalination and the reuse of treated wastewater.
The Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries recently stated that Tunisia is looking to build new dams.
He added that the future action plan aims to reduce water demand and diversify water sources through desalination of seawater and treated water, through an integrated management of water resources.
In fact, Tunisia has been plagued by drought for the past five years. Studies seem to confirm the persistence of the drought and a significant reduction in rainfall. This prolonged drought naturally affects the availability of water, both for drinking and for irrigation.