SMART

Sustainable Management of Scarce

Resources in the Coastal Zone

Wp 09: Regional case

study: TUNISIA
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Geographic and climatic characteristics

The tunisian coastline spans 1300 km
The southern part of the country is a part of
the Sahara

No big rivers exist except the Medjerdas

75% of the territory suffers from the aridity
The northwestern part of the country gets
between 500 and 1500 mm of precipitation
per year
The dry season is too long
In the south, precipitations dont exceed
150mm (per year)
Except for the north, all the regions suffer
from the drought

Rainfall map

Legend
More than 500
400 mm to 500
300 mm to 400
200 mm to 300
100 mm to 200
Less than 100

mm
mm
mm
mm
mm
mm

Socioeconomic characteristics
(Millions)

10.814
9.563

1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2004
2009
2014

8.154

Populations growth

63.4

Socioeconomic data
62.6

(%)

62.4
62.2
61.6
61.3
61.0
60.8
60.5

61.9

2001

Urban populations evolution

2000

1999

1998

1997

1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996

59.8
59.6

Water consumption
3300
2879

(Millions m3)
25402429

1,575 260
635365

85

1,92

1990

1996

total

2010

industry

Drinkable water

irrigation

85
125

Socioeconomic frame
Demographic growth
Rise in the standard of living
Urban extension
Increase in the irrigation practice
Industry and tourism development

Water resources pressure

Politic frame
1- Water resources planification

Guideline plan for the water use in

The north
The center
The south

Politic frame
2- Water resources uses
hydraulic infrastructure:
dams
hill dams
lakes
underground water
surface wells
use rate

Surface water 76%

underground water 95%
9

Water use development

Potential water resources: 4470 millions m3

10

Politic frame
2- Water resources uses
Unconventional water use
artificial refill of underground water
treated water
brackish water
3- Water resource management
Wise management of available water
Controlling the needs
Pollution prevention
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Problems
Dam silting up
Hydrogeological system fragility
Mediterranean climatic inter annual
variability
Poor water quality (salinity higher than normal)

Overexploitation and water waste

12

Strategic trends of the tunisian policy

New water resources use has however become more difficult.
(The saturation of the use of such a resource is expected to
happen in 2015).
As a consequence, Tunisia will face a major challenge: the
rational exploitation of an increasingly scarce and expensive
natural resource.
This challenge is linked to other constraints and problems
such as food security, unemployment and regional
imbalance.
The tunisian case study in the SMART
project fits perfectly the sustainable
tunisian
policies
regarding
development.
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Problem of water use in the coastal zone

1-Rapid land use change and conflictual land exploitation:
Agriculture
Industry
Tourism
Urbanization
2. Demographic pressure
population growth
migration
14

Problem of water use in the coastal zone

3- Unbalance of ecological and physical coastal systems
Overexploitation of underground water and salt water
intrusion in the immediate coastal zone
Reduction of the refillment area of the underground
resource (urban extension)
Coastal sedimentary dynamic disturbance
4- pollution
Industrial water waste management
Urban water waste management
Solid waste management
15

Investigation areas
Tabarka
Gulf of Hammamet
Gulf of Gabes

16

Tabarka

Major problems:
Impact of big hydraulic structures on yhe
coast and on the coastal water areas
Tabarka
Water waste in the irrigation process
Worsening of underground water quality
(overuse of pesticides in agriculture)
Tourism development
Urban planification

17

Major problems:
a Competition between agriculture and
Hammamettourism as far as water use is concerned
Overexploitation of underground water
and sea water intrusion
Extraordinary urban expansion
Coastal disturbance of the coastal
Hammamet
dynamics as a consequence
of touristic
developments
Waste management
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Major problems:
Competition between agriculture and
tourism as far as water use is concerned
Overexploitation of underground water
and sea water intrusion
Gabes a

Industrial pollution

Gabes

Waste management

19

Thank you for your attention

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