Severe water scarcity has become a global issue that also threatens Tunisia, a historically arid country that is increasingly experiencing consequences of climate change. With less than 430 m³ of water consumption per inhabitant annually (as a reference, Germany consumes around 2,600 m³ per capita each year) and a high water stress index of 132%, projections indicate that the increased demand for water and the degradation of water quality, including salinization of coastal aquifers, will put the country’s environmental ecosystem and its inhabitants, especially the most vulnerable, at a point of no return unless urgent measures are taken.
Several factors explain this crisis. According to the World Bank, the sum of geographical, social and political factors makes the country “one of the Mediterranean countries most exposed to climate change”. Recently, its effects have hit harder than ever. Decreased rainfall caused a drought between 2017 and 2020. By 2050, the country is predicted to lose 75% of its total coastal water resources for reasons such as excessive groundwater extraction and deteriorating water quality in coastal aquifers.
Therefore, the key question is no longer whether or not it is necessary to implement actions to solve this situation but how to accelerate initiatives and solutions to guarantee water reserves in the future. The Tunisian government has taken some measures in recent years, including the publication in 2015 of their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a roadmap in which they stipulate their mitigation and adaptation efforts to further contribute to the global response to the threat of climate change.
The VaLEUr-Gabès project diagnosed and developed a municipal action plan for Non-Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) in the city of Gabès, in the southeast of Tunisia.
In 2021, they updated the document, raising their ambition in components such as resilience to implement actions affecting their six most vulnerable sectors: water resources, agriculture, ecosystems, coastline, health and tourism. One key point of the document is its interest in finding alternative sources of water through adaptation in the management of the territory’s hydrological sources. This approach has attracted the attention of international organizations and external actors interested in contributing to the process.
An example of the above is the VaLEUr-Gabès program, implemented by the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB), in partnership with MedCities and the Municipality of Gabès, with funding from the EU Delegation in Tunisia. Within this program, the diagnostic study of non-conventional water resources and the municipal management plan for the same was led between 2021 and 2022 by the non-profit environmental research and consultancy organisation WE&B and financed by MedCities– both AMWAJ members. The study was carried out by WE&B together with local experts and under the guidance of MedCities and the Gabès City Council.
The main objective of the project was to diagnose and develop a municipal action plan for Non-Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) in the city of Gabès, located in the southeast of Tunisia and home to one of the country’s most valuable and endangered aquifers. The initiative contributed to implementing international agreements such as 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the global water policy agenda.
Environmental and industrial challenges
The city of Gabès is characterised by a landscape that blends the desert with the Mediterranean Sea and is a place of profound contrasts. On the one hand, on an environmental level, it is a unique land with one of the only coastal oases in the world. Its microclimate, which covers an area of more than 700 hectares, makes it an essential component of the city, as it is the only fertile element in the region.
On the other hand, the region is constantly threatened by the depletion and salinisation of groundwater, compounded by encroaching urbanisation. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the phosphate industry, which demands large quantities of water and generates pollution.
The undeniable environmental crisis Tunisia and the city of Gabès are experiencing requires the opening of alternative paths that, in the medium and long term, will ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for its population and ecosystem.
To address the challenges and issues, the VaLEUr-Gabès initiative sought to comprehensively diagnose the situation where WE&B conducted in-depth interviews with civil society, public administration, agricultural, and industrial stakeholders to co-develop and propose an action plan to improve water resources management. The use of NCWRs emerged as the most reliable and effective way to fight water scarcity in the city and the region.
What exactly are NCWRs? They encompass various sources such as treated wastewater, desalinated brackish and seawater, reclaimed oasis drainage water for agricultural reuse, and urban water collection, including runoff and stormwater. The initiative aims to maximize their use to avoid water shortages, reduce reliance on conventional resources, safeguard the oasis, and support sustainable urban and agricultural water needs.
Innovative Solutions for Water Scarcity Through Collaboration
Finding innovative solutions to address water scarcity through NCWR is not enough. One of the project’s main takeaways is the need for a comprehensive approach that connects all stakeholders, including the private sector, public sector and civil society, on the same path and the recognition of NCWRs’ interdependence with traditional water management. Both should be projected into an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plan.
In addition, the results provided by WE&B emphasizes the importance of using a strategic framework that recognizes the acute water stress and the urgent need for innovation to address challenges such as “insecure availability of quality drinking water, treated wastewater quality, groundwater exploitation, marine intrusion in coastal aquifers, and diminishing water.”
Local stakeholders interviewed in the course of the project, such as farmers, researchers, and public administration professionals, experience these challenges firsthand in daily operations and support enhancing water resource circularity. Key measures mentioned during the research included reusing treated wastewater, collecting and storing rainwater, desalinating seawater, and utilizing drainage water within the oases.
Actionable solutions to water security
The Gabès Action Plan for the development of NCWR has clear objectives and initiatives. One of its cornerstones is rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse, which means building 5000 Majels (rainwater storage tanks to meet domestic water needs) over the next 10 years.
In addition, strong emphasis is given to the reuse of drainage water generated by agricultural activities in this fertile area and the recovery of water from the four hammams (public baths in many MENA countries) surrounding the city. Finally, the action plan stipulates the continuation of the CoPil (Steering Committee) – created during the execution of the project – is a committee of local stakeholders that function as an “advisory and consultative capacity, actively fostering the implementation of the Action Plan and advancing the long-term goals of multi-stakeholder involvement as well as democratic governance over alternative water resources in Gabès.”
The undeniable environmental crisis Tunisia and the city of Gabès are experiencing requires the opening of alternative paths that, in the medium and long term, will ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for its population and ecosystem. Although the road is still long, the city has the potential to become a good example for the valorisation of rainwater that can be adopted in other regions of Tunisia as well as in other parts of the world suffering similar effects of climate change.
