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Tunisia: Public water supply to be cut overnight due to drought, fine and jail for wastage

TunisEdited By: Manas JoshiUpdated: Apr 01, 2023, 12:12 AM IST
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A view shows a bridge over Sidi El Barrak dam with depleted levels of water, in Nafza, west of the capital Tunis, Tunisia, January 7, 2023. Photograph:(Reuters)

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The drought in Tunisia is now in its fourth year.

Tunisia state water distribution company SONEDE said in a statement on Friday that it will cut water supply to citizens for seven hours a night. This decision is being taken in response to the country's worst drought on record. Earlier, Tunisia's agricultural ministry introduced a quota system for potable water banning its use in agriculture till September 30. The drought in Tunisia is now in its fourth year.

SONEDE said in a statement that the water will be cut off daily from 9 p.m until 4 a.m, with immediate effect.

Mosbah Hlali, its head, said the drought in the country was unprecedented due to the scarcity of rain for four consecutive years, and called on Tunisians to understand the decision which it attributed to climate change.

Senior agriculture ministry official Hamadi Habib said that Tunisia had recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around 1 billion cubic metres or 30 per cent of the maximum.

The agriculture ministry has also banned the use of potable water to wash cars, water green areas and clean streets and public places. Violators face a fine and imprisonment for a period of between six days to six months.

Residents said Tunisian authorities have been cutting off drinking water at night in some areas of the capital and other cities for the last two weeks in a bid to cut consumption, a move that has sparked widespread anger.

The new decision threatens to fuel social tension in a country whose people suffer from poor public services, high inflation and a weak economy.

The Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, a key provider of drinking water to several regions, has declined to only 16% of its maximum capacity of 580 million cubic metres, official figures showed.

(With inputs from agencies)

 

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