Tunisia is facing an escalating water crisis, despite recent rainfall whose impact remains temporary, as demand continues to outstrip available supply. The country’s dam reserves had reached their lowest levels in various regions.
Tunisia has been grappling with drought for five years. Studies suggest that the drought will persist, accompanied by a significant reduction in rainfall. This prolonged aridity has naturally affected water availability, both for drinking water and irrigation.
Dam fill rate at 32%
As of January 30, 2025, the fill rate of Tunisia’s dams stood at 32%, according to Abdelhamid Mnaja, CEO of SONEDE (the National Water Distribution Utility). He noted that recent rainfall has helped improve the country’s water reserves.
Speaking to journalists during a press conference organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries, Mnaja explained that the total inflow to the dams since the start of the rainy season reached 755 million cubic meters (m³), compared to 768 million m³ during the same period the previous year.
This inflow is distributed as follows: 694 million m³ for dams in the north, 50 million m³ for dams in the center, and 11 million m³ for dams in Cap Bon.
SONEDE pledges to address water shortages
Mnaja stated that SONEDE is working to resolve water shortages in several regions and to accelerate the completion of the Sousse desalination plant, which has a capacity of 50,000 m³ per day.
The company is also enhancing water transfer to the Sahel region from the Nebhana Dam (Kairouan), constructing artesian wells in several areas, including Kef, Siliana, Medenine, Tataouine, and Tozeur, and connecting multiple deep wells.
In this regard, SONEDE has established a 24/7 monitoring unit to combat illegal well drilling. The unit has issued 1,041 violation reports, seized 269 drilling machines, and decided to backfill 186 wells, 11 of which have already been completed.
The unit has also removed 2,342 unauthorized connections to hydraulic systems and uncovered 1,698 violations related to water theft from public irrigation networks, as well as 480 violations linked to the irrigation of agricultural properties.
Prolonged aridity impacts water resources
In truth, Tunisia is facing prolonged aridity, which has significantly impacted water availability for both drinking and irrigation purposes.
While recent rains have been beneficial, they have not been sufficient to fill the dams. It is therefore crucial to find solutions and allocate water from the dams to the agricultural sector, as the majority of farmers cannot shift away from their water-intensive activities.
