3 Water Resource Availability and Quality …
47
the Sahara and in particular in the Northern part of the country are highly mineralized and often of poor quality, thus requiring membrane filtration (nano and reverse
osmosis) to supply the large majority of the population of the Sahara (Ramdani et al.
2012). Moreover, several aquifers located in the nearby urban centers are shown to be
contaminated by the infiltration of contaminated surface water. This is the case in the
El-Hadjar (Annaba) aquifer in the Northern part of the country, which is vulnerable
to pollution from two wadis: Seybouse and Meboudja (Chaoui et al. 2015).
Owing to its location between Algeria and Libya, Tunisia shares surface and
groundwater resources with its neighboring countries. Among these are Medjerda
Stream in the North and deep aquifers in the South. Serious drought observed in recent
years has threatened to damage the sensors of the monitoring network installed in
the Medjerda stream and its watershed. The latter is undergoing great pollution pressure by the urban and agro-food industries that may impact water resources, soil,
and biodiversity. Yearly, around 37 million m
3 of urban and industrial effluents are
discharged in the whole watershed, corresponding to 60,000 tons of COD, 21,600
tons of DBO5 and 17,400 tons of suspended matter. In addition, significant quantities
of chemicals comprising fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals are released through
runoff and drainage. Significant contamination of shallow groundwater with nitrates
was observed in agricultural areas, more specifically in the Northern part of the
country. This non-point pollution of water resources is attributable to an absence of
outreach to farmers to assist them to better manage fertilizers. The situation is aggravated by the release and application of manure and intensive livestock production
(MARHP 2017).
In Tunisia, recent analysis by the National Agency of Environmental Protection
(2017) provides evidence of the degradation of the quality of a number of waterways, not only from liquid discharge emanating from industrial units, but also from
dumping of solid waste. In recent years, studies have been launched to inform better
management of solid waste in rural areas in order to limit the impact on the environment. Despite an increase in awareness of the pollution threat to the environment, lack of funding is a barrier to implementation of action plans. Water resource
quality monitoring is performed according to a program that includes surface water
(dams, streams, canals, lakes) and groundwater (shallow and deep) as well as treated
wastewater (MARHP 2017). The revision of national standards for discharge, initially
developed in 1989, was a major achievement in 2018.
Adaptation to climate change means ensuring adequate supply and quality of water
in the face of intensifying risks. One key element of adaptation is diversification of
water management strategies, which is reliant on multiple water resources of different
qualities to serve various uses. Alternative water resources like the reuse of TWW for
irrigation or aquifer recharge and desalination of brackish water and seawater have
been adopted. Nevertheless, these solutions require a strong institutional, regulatory,
and technical foundation to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. In fact, water
policies in several countries of the region have advocated IWRM as the preferred
governance approach for existing resources (Sowers et al. 2011).
47
the Sahara and in particular in the Northern part of the country are highly mineralized and often of poor quality, thus requiring membrane filtration (nano and reverse
osmosis) to supply the large majority of the population of the Sahara (Ramdani et al.
2012). Moreover, several aquifers located in the nearby urban centers are shown to be
contaminated by the infiltration of contaminated surface water. This is the case in the
El-Hadjar (Annaba) aquifer in the Northern part of the country, which is vulnerable
to pollution from two wadis: Seybouse and Meboudja (Chaoui et al. 2015).
Owing to its location between Algeria and Libya, Tunisia shares surface and
groundwater resources with its neighboring countries. Among these are Medjerda
Stream in the North and deep aquifers in the South. Serious drought observed in recent
years has threatened to damage the sensors of the monitoring network installed in
the Medjerda stream and its watershed. The latter is undergoing great pollution pressure by the urban and agro-food industries that may impact water resources, soil,
and biodiversity. Yearly, around 37 million m
3 of urban and industrial effluents are
discharged in the whole watershed, corresponding to 60,000 tons of COD, 21,600
tons of DBO5 and 17,400 tons of suspended matter. In addition, significant quantities
of chemicals comprising fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals are released through
runoff and drainage. Significant contamination of shallow groundwater with nitrates
was observed in agricultural areas, more specifically in the Northern part of the
country. This non-point pollution of water resources is attributable to an absence of
outreach to farmers to assist them to better manage fertilizers. The situation is aggravated by the release and application of manure and intensive livestock production
(MARHP 2017).
In Tunisia, recent analysis by the National Agency of Environmental Protection
(2017) provides evidence of the degradation of the quality of a number of waterways, not only from liquid discharge emanating from industrial units, but also from
dumping of solid waste. In recent years, studies have been launched to inform better
management of solid waste in rural areas in order to limit the impact on the environment. Despite an increase in awareness of the pollution threat to the environment, lack of funding is a barrier to implementation of action plans. Water resource
quality monitoring is performed according to a program that includes surface water
(dams, streams, canals, lakes) and groundwater (shallow and deep) as well as treated
wastewater (MARHP 2017). The revision of national standards for discharge, initially
developed in 1989, was a major achievement in 2018.
Adaptation to climate change means ensuring adequate supply and quality of water
in the face of intensifying risks. One key element of adaptation is diversification of
water management strategies, which is reliant on multiple water resources of different
qualities to serve various uses. Alternative water resources like the reuse of TWW for
irrigation or aquifer recharge and desalination of brackish water and seawater have
been adopted. Nevertheless, these solutions require a strong institutional, regulatory,
and technical foundation to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. In fact, water
policies in several countries of the region have advocated IWRM as the preferred
governance approach for existing resources (Sowers et al. 2011).