Water reserves in the country’s 33 dams have reached 1457.9 Mm3 against 1777.1 Mm3 recorded on the same date in 2019, i.e. a drop of nearly 18% (654 Mm3), according to data recently published by the National Agriculture Observatory (ONAGRI).
The same source added that the filling rate is nearly 65%, knowing that the average water reserves in the country’s dams recorded over the last three years has reached 1190.4Mm3, up 267 Mm3.
The volumes stored are distributed as follows: 1290.1 Mm3 in the Northern dams (73.9%), 125.9 Mm3 in the Centre (28.2%), 41.7 Mm3 in the Cap Bon dams (68.5%).
Rainfall for the 2019/2020 agricultural campaign is characterised by an inequality distributed in space and time, noted ONAGRI.
After a winter season marked by a rainfall deficit, the last rains in March and April have led to an improvement in rainfall which has approached normal in most regions with a slight surplus for the Central and South East regions.
Rainfall recorded over the entire country during the period from September 1, 2019 to April 29, 2020 reached 96% of normal.
By region, and compared to the normal of the period, it rained as follows: 98% of normal in the North-West, 99% in the North-East, 87% in the Centre-West, 116% in the Centre-East, 72% in the South-West and 111% in the South-East.
As a result of these rains, the cumulative inflows to dams from September 1, 19 to April 29, 2020 reached 654.231 Mm3, i.e. 59% less than the average of the period and 67% less than the same period of the previous year.
These contributions are distributed as follows: 90% in the North (588.6 Mm3), 5% in the Centre (34.7 Mm3) and 4.7% in Cap Bon (30.8 Mm3).
As regards the agricultural season, the latest rains will have a positive impact on the evolution of the plant cover of dry crops, especially grains, which are currently experiencing a good level of growth overall, said ONAGRI.
However, the lack of rains in January and February has already negatively affected grain crops in some governorates of the centre-west and south-west (Siliana, Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid and Kairouan).
