Tunisia hosts water and climate change seminar

Higher water prices may be one in a package of solutions to change consumption behaviors and improve management of resources, said Executive Secretary of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) Khatim Kherraz.

The Executive Secretary put forward solutions, including seawater desalination and wastewater reuse in agriculture in Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, Tunis national news agency (TAP) reported.

Arab Maghreb is facing water scarcity as annual water supplies dropped below the World Health Organization (WHO)'s annual 1,000 m3 per person threshold, he told TAP on the sidelines of an international seminar in Tunis on "Water and Climate Change in the Maghreb: Challenges and Opportunities."

Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Samir Taieb said preliminary studies conducted and submitted as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change showed that Tunisia will see increased climate variability by 2050, mainly drought duration and magnitude of floods.

Tunisia worked out an action plan to advance the national water strategy which is designed to secure a better management.

President of the World Water Council Loïc Fauchon said ensuring the future of water resources is tightly linked to technological solutions, drilling, desalination and waste water reuse.

Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union Taieb Baccouche said, for his part, mobilizable water resources amount to 46 billion m3, half of which are considered as potentially valuable.

Interventions to tackle coastal erosion which affected 392 km targeted 32 km in Raf Raf, Sousse and Kerkennah with a budget of 92 billion dinars, said Minister of Local Affairs and Environment Mokhtar Hammami.

Lenders are urged to finance the fight against climate change and water scarcity. Reuse of waste water, desalination and other techniques require substantial funding, he added.