Implementing the national water strategy by 2050 will require the mobilisation of TND 70 billion, meaning TND 2.7 billion per year, Rafik Aini, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, said on Monday.
"Today, Tunisia has no choice but to mobilise these resources and implement this strategy in order to guarantee access to drinking water for the entire population and to ensure food security," he stressed during a workshop organised at the ministry's headquarters in collaboration with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
He went on to say that this strategy includes some 43 projects and 1,200 measures to minimise the impact of climate change and ensure a fair balance between supply and demand.
The aim of the strategy is to reduce the amount of water used for agriculture from 80% to 70%, with the remaining 30% being used for domestic consumption, tourism and industry, he pointed out.
He added that the goal is to improve the efficiency of drinking water distribution and irrigation networks in order to recover 300 million m3.
The aim is also to reuse wastewater, which is expected to reach 600 million m3 in the agricultural sector by 2050.
The strategy also provides for the construction of 31 dams and other underground structures by 2050.
It also seeks to guarantee 115 litres of water per day per inhabitant, given that the available water resources currently amount to only 420 m3 per year per inhabitant, making Tunisia one of the countries in the world in a situation of water stress.
The national demand for water will increase by 38% by 2050, while water resources are expected to continue to decrease, reaching -28%, according to the Ministry.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse