According to residents, Tunisian authorities have begun turning off drinking water at night in parts of the capital and other cities, apparently in an effort to limit usage amid a severe drought.
Unannounced water cuts in the capital city of Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse, Monastir, and Sfax pose a risk of escalating civil unrest in a nation where the populace is plagued by subpar public services, rising inflation, and a fragile economy.
Due to the severe drought the country is experiencing, officials have warned that the ministry may start cutting off water delivery at night throughout the summer to cut down on use.
Yet, it appears that the persistent lack of rain has forced some officials to begin doing so earlier than usual.
The frequent interruptions in the water supply in Hammamet city, according to Yassin Mami, a politician in the new parliament, are “because the country is threatened by water scarcity,” the official added.
A senior official in the agriculture ministry, Tunisia’s dams saw a decline in capacity of almost 1 billion cubic meters between September 2022 and mid-March 2023 as a result of a lack of rain.
According to government data, the Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, which is a major source of drinking water for numerous regions, has only reached 16% of its 580 million cubic meter maximum capacity.