Tunisia to Irrigate 11,500 Hectares of Agricultural Land with Treated Water by 2025
By the end of 2025, 11,500 hectares of agricultural land, mainly olive groves, will be irrigated with treated water, announced Tunisian Environment Minister Habib Abid on Tuesday in Tunis.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 31st session of the Administrative Council and the 7th session of the General Assembly of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), the minister specified that this initiative is being carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries. The project will concern the governorates of Ben Arous, Zaghouan, Sousse, and Sfax.
Abid indicated that only 26% of Tunisia's 160 existing wastewater treatment plants are currently operational. He also recalled that his department is closely following the issues related to desertification and drought, adding that "Tunisia has overcome a seven-year drought, but remains exposed to this risk, exacerbated by the effects of climate change."
In this context, he emphasized the need to rationalize water consumption, highlighting the country's orientation towards agricultural irrigation using treated wastewater, as well as the use of remote sensing to better identify the agricultural specificities of each region and develop several value chains.
Finally, Abid praised the role of the OSS in combating desertification, a major scourge for the African continent, as well as in preserving biodiversity and valorizing natural products.
