Water scarcity is a fact of life for many living in North Africa. In Tunisia, water rationing has been in place for months. But increased investment in desalination plants is expected to provide a reliable source of water for domestic and even agricultural use, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The World Bank predicts that by 2030, the region it calls the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) will be short of even the absolute annual water scarcity level of 500 cubic meters per capita.
Tunisia, which built its first desalination plants in the 1970s to treat brackish groundwater sources, built its first seawater desalination plant in 2018. At present, the nation’s 16 plants provide 6% of its potable water. Most of the remainder comes from 37 dams, although the reservoirs are typically only one-third full, reports AFP.
Three plants are under construction in Tunisia. Desalination is expected to supply 30% of the nation’s water by 2030.
