Water resources in Tunisia: Filling rate of dams reaches 36.7% by June 15, 2023

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Tunisia - The general filling rate of dams reached 36.7% on June 15, 2023, with rates of around 42.6% in the north, 16.6% in the centre and 9.2% in Cap Bon, the National Observatory for Agriculture (ONAGRI) reported on Monday in its bulletin on the figures for June 2023.

The Sidi Salem and Sidi Barrak dams recorded rates of 36.6% and 51.5% respectively. The Barbara and Moula dams recorded rates of 101% and 100% respectively.

According to the same publication, overall dam reserves reached 850.4 million m3 on June 15, 2023, compared with 1077.2 million m3 during the same period in 2022. Overall dam reserves on June 15, 2023 were thus 25.7% lower than the average for the same day over the last three years, which stood at 1144.1 million m3. These reserves are distributed as follows: 90.5% in the north, 8.8% in the centre and 0.7% in Cap Bon.

ONAGRI also reported that overall supplies for the period from September 1, 2022 to June 15, 2023 were around 630.3 million m3, significantly lower than the average for the period (1815.9 million m3) and supplies for the same period in 2022 (1081.2 million m3). These inflows are distributed as follows: 91.9% in the north, 7.7% in the centre and 0.4% in Cap Bon.

Over the period from September 1, 2022 to June 15, 2023, rainfall in the country totalled 154.1 mm, with the highest amounts recorded in the north. Rainfall of 56.3 mm in May and 12.3 mm in the first half of June helped to reduce the rainfall deficit compared with the average for the period. This deficit varied between 22% in the northern region and 45% in the south-western region.

By mid-May 2023, Tunisia was facing its fourth year of drought. According to ONAGRI, the filling rate of dams nationwide was 30.3% during the period from September 1, 2022 to May 18, 2023.

Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries decided last March to temporarily ban certain uses of water and to introduce a system of short-term rationing, in order to deal with the current water shortage in the country.

It is therefore forbidden, until September, to use the drinking water distributed by the Société Nationale d'Exploitation et de distribution des Eaux (Sonede) networks for agricultural purposes, irrigation, cleaning public spaces and washing cars.