Tunis: The Tunisian League of Women Voters (French: LET), in collaboration with the Danish Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KVINFO), organised a conference on the water code project in Tunis on Saturday.
The conference, attended by MPs, officials from relevant departments, and several representatives from the civil society, addressed pressing issues such as water stress, drought management, the right to water, and mechanisms for proper water resource management.
Held under the theme “Recommendations for a Better Integration of Humanitarian and Climate Approaches in the Water Code Project,” this conference highlighted the significant division observed among various Tunisian administrations involved in water preservation.
President of the LET Torkia Chebbi said the conference aims to raise awareness among MPs about the need to advocate for marginalised women and disabled persons, for better gender consideration in the water code project.
The water code project, under discussion on Saturday, received
several improvement proposals. “We advocate for the creation of a Supreme Water Council,” affirmed Afef Hammami Marrakchi, an environmental law professor.
According to her, the Water Code project should strengthen Tunisians’ right to water and should include a set of structural measures aimed at establishing an adjustment body accompanied by sanctions against water resource infringements.
She stated that significant threats to water resources in Tunisia mainly stem from human activities, citing pollution, climate change, urban growth, and landscape transformations such as deforestation. “The recommendations of the conference will be submitted to the Assembly of the People’s Representatives (ARP),” she added.
Participants proposed the creation of a Public Water Protection Agency and effective management of extreme phenomena such as floods and drought.
Other MPs believed that the implementation of new tariffs for drinking water by the National Water Supply and Distribution Company (Sonede) could balance wat
er resources. A reduction in tariffs could lead to water wastage, they argued.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse