President Kais Saied inaugurated on Sunday the seawater desalination plant in Zarat, Gabes governorate, announcing the effective launch of this plant for the benefit of 1,100,000 citizens after the completion of all stages of the experiment.
The desalination programme dates back to 2016, according to a video published by the Presidency of the Republic, but the implementation of this programme did not actually start until 2019, with the Zarat plant being the first of the completed projects after the end of studies and all the stages of project preparation, while the Sfax desalination plant was inaugurated at the end of July and the Sousse plant is still being implemented.
The President of the Republic considered it unacceptable that the implementation of the desalination project in Tunisia took so long, more than five years.
He stressed the need to develop working methods in the face of daily demands and complaints about the interruption of drinking water and the lack of supply of this vital substance for i
rrigation, fodder and livestock farming, and called for finding urgent solutions pending the national water strategy for the year 2035.
“We are victims of global policies that have led to climate change, global warming and pollution, but we are also victims of domestic policies that have been adopted over decades, and these situations must come to an end and everyone must take full responsibility,” said the President of the Republic, noting that “the current situation we have reached in recent years is puzzling and raises questions”.
According to the President of the Republic, the problem of water in Tunisia is an old one, but it has become more acute in recent years: “Our country, like other countries suffering from a lack of rainfall, is in fact a victim of global policies that it did not choose, and it has never been one of their creators, but rather one of their victims”.
The President pointed out that “there are projects that need to be carried out now and in these days, and a large number of citizens
are complaining of thirst for drinking water, livestock and agriculture”.
He stressed that there are policies that need to be reviewed and a totally abnormal situation that has led to the “murder” of agriculture and agricultural products, as well as the oases of Gabes and other oases, due to water that is no longer suitable for drinking or irrigation, causing pollution and diseases.
The Head of State reviewed some wrong choices, such as the acceptance of projects harmful to the environment and natural resources, which several African countries have rejected.
In addition to water scarcity and droughts almost every three years in the face of global warming, diminishing resources and increasing consumption, Tunisia suffers from the mismanagement of its water resources due to the lack of maintenance and upkeep of mountain lakes and dams, as well as pipe bursts such as those that have occurred in recent days in the southern suburbs of the capital, said the President of the Republic.
He added that the rationali
sation of water consumption is necessary and must be fair and clear for all consumers in all regions.
The Head of State noted that the livestock and fodder sectors are also suffering because of the lack of water, which has led to an increase in the price of fodder and its monopolisation by a limited number of people who control the market, making citizens and farmers pay for this excessive increase.
In view of the continued monopolisation of fodder, despite the existence of a Fodder Board, the State is responsible for the distribution of this material, since it is a matter of the people, and the farmer has the right to have its prices affordable.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse