Tunis, March 31 (BNA): The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture said that Tunisia introduced a quota system for drinking water on Friday and banned its use in agriculture until September 30, in response to the severe drought that struck the country.
Tunisia, which is experiencing severe drought for the fourth year in a row, recorded a decrease in the dam’s capacity to about 1 billion cubic meters, or 30% of the maximum, due to the scarcity of rainfall from September 2022 to mid-March 2023. Hammadi Habib, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, said.
The Ministry of Agriculture also banned the use of potable water for washing cars, irrigating green spaces, and cleaning streets and public places. According to the Water Law, violators face a fine and imprisonment for between six days and six months.
Residents said that over the past two weeks, the Tunisian authorities have cut off drinking water at night in some areas of the capital and other cities in an attempt to reduce consumption, in a move that sparked outrage. The government declined to comment on this allegation.
Official figures showed that the Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, the main supplier of drinking water for several regions, has fallen to only 16% of its maximum capacity of 580 million cubic meters.
Mohamed Rjibia, a prominent farmer’s union official, told Reuters on Thursday that the Tunisian grain crop would be “catastrophic”, with the drought-affected crop falling to 200,000 and 250,000 tons this year from 750,000 tons in 2022.
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