Water Distribution Network Optimization Project Saves 10,000 Cubic Meters of Water per Day
A project aimed at improving the performance of water distribution networks and detecting leaks, implemented over the past year, has saved 10,000 cubic meters of water per day, equivalent to the daily consumption of 70,000 people, according to Chawki Ben Mansour, Central Director in charge of Water Economy at SONEDE.
During a meeting organized at the Ministry of Agriculture on the occasion of World Water Day, under the theme of "Water Demand Management: Reducing Losses and Using Non-Conventional Water Sources," Ben Mansour specified that this project is part of SONEDE's water economy strategy, which spans five years.
The initiative aims to improve technical efficiency indicators, particularly network profitability, to reduce water losses, preserve available hydraulic resources, and ensure comprehensive accounting within hydraulic systems and distribution networks.
Financed 70% by the German Development Bank (KfW) and 30% by the State budget, the project also aims to develop expertise in water economy by training technicians in seven concerned districts: Kairouan, Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, Gafsa, Gabès, Médenine, and Tataouine. In the long term, its deployment is planned in the Greater Tunis region and Sfax.
Ben Mansour added that the project includes the renovation of 1,000 km of degraded distribution networks, the replacement of 600 mm and 1,000 mm diameter pipes, as well as the acquisition of control equipment and software. It also includes the completion of network digitization and their integration into a geographic information system.
To date, approximately 5,500 km of the network have already been digitized, and several applications have been implemented to optimize infrastructure management, track breaks and leaks, improve water consumption billing, and enhance service efficiency.
