Tunisia is traditionally considered a rainy country – so fertile that in ancient times it was nicknamed “Roman granaries”. But the crisis-ridden country is currently suffering from a dramatic water shortage.
It’s been a good ten years since Ali al-Saidi lost his job in the private sector. At that time, the 56-year-old engineer decided to work in the agricultural sector from then on. But now he could lose his job again: climate change is affecting Tunisia as well. After months of drought, the country’s water resources are largely exhausted.
The extent of the crisis is reflected in per capita consumption. Currently, Tunisians use less than 400 cubic meters per year on average. That’s about half the global average as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This is between 700 and 900 cubic meters per year.
Faced with this emergency, the Tunisian government decided to cut off drinking water for seven hours at night and to introduce a quota system for its distribution and use.
“We did not make it”
Since then, al-Saidi has been forced to cover the needs of his court with the help of water canisters. However, the water supply is often interrupted for several hours during the day, he says in an interview with DW.
“All agricultural and industrial experiments that were planned in Tunisia have failed,” al-Saidi told DW. “Singapore and South Korea succeeded in solving their water problems, but we failed. In addition, we now face a political crisis. The situation would need to be addressed in many ways.”
Food security at risk
Burj al-Tawil is a rural region north of the capital Tunis and suffers particularly from acute water shortages. The farmers cannot adequately irrigate their extensive fields. The authorities there launched a project to filter the waste water back in the 1980s. But it was hardly maintained. Little by little, dirt accumulated in the water pipe networks, causing them to become clogged.
Farmers have no choice but to hope for rain these days. In fact, there was some rainfall in early April. Without them, the ears would have died after several weeks of drought. But the water is far from enough for a successful harvest.
“We’re getting worse and worse now. If the farming season doesn’t go well, I’ll have to go back to work in the private sector,” says al-Saidi. According to the Tunisian farmers’ association, around half a million farmers are suffering from the drought like him. They have great difficulty irrigating their vegetable and grain fields. The ranchers are also struggling with the lack of water, a fact that has already caused meat production to shrink. The prices rose accordingly.
Growing import pressure
Months ago, the association had warned of a massive decline in the grain harvest. In fact, Tunisian production shrank by around two-thirds. This has massive consequences for the country: Tunisia already covers around 70 percent of its needs with imports. In view of the recent price increases, this poses considerable challenges for the country.
The water shortage is all the more serious: the drought reduced national water reserves to less than 30 percent by March. Water flow at the country’s largest dam, the Sidi-Salem Dam, has shrunk to 17 percent of its capacity. According to experts, it would have to rain non-stop for a long time in Tunisia to fill the reservoirs again.
Homemade fountains
At least wells can help: unlike Ali al-Saidi, his colleague Kamal al-Shabo has survived the drought well so far. He irrigates his 15-hectare area with the help of a well. So far, he has not had to lay off any of his 40 employees. “The price increase can only be countered by increasing production,” says the 60-year-old in a DW interview. However, agriculture is not only suffering from drought, but also from urban sprawl in the north. The construction of new housing and roads eats up large amounts of agricultural land. The state, on the other hand, must definitely take action, he demands.
So far, the government has held back with measures. However, it prohibited farmers from cultivating land in the immediate vicinity of water reservoirs. Against this background, without outside help, thousands of farmers, especially in the south of the country, were forced to draw water from wells they had built themselves, like Kamal al-Shabo did.
But that is dangerous, says hydraulic engineering expert Hussein Rahili. There are already over 21,000 such fountains, most of them created after the 2011 revolution, when state authority was weakened for a while. Now these wells are endangering the water table, Rahili warns. Around 580 million cubic meters flow through them every year. That corresponds to a good 20 percent of the country’s underground water resources.
Memories of 1969
Older Tunisians in particular know what effects the current water crisis could have. You remember the year 1969, when Tunisia also suffered from a severe drought – which was then followed by severe flooding. Parts of the economy collapsed at the time, and many people moved from the country to the city.
“This changed the country’s demographic structure,” says Tunisian economist Al-Saghir al-Salihi. “Tunisia became more and more dependent on international aid. The country was finding it increasingly difficult to meet the food needs of its own citizens.”
How Tunisia intends to counteract the lack of water still seems completely unclear. The construction of new dams is not worthwhile, says al-Salihi. This is too expensive, and they would hardly fill up anyway due to the weak rainfall.
For now, the farmers have nothing but hope. “We have to roll up our sleeves and work,” says al-Saidi. “We must not despair. Poverty does not belong in Tunisia.”
Adapted from Arabic by Kersten Knipp.
Author: Tarak Guizani (Tunis)
