Water Resources
The annual total volume of exploitable water in Tunisia is about 4670 hm3, out of which about 57% (2700 hm3) is surface water and the remaining 43% (1970 hm3) groundwater. Tunisia is a water stressed country with per capita renewable water availability of 486 m3—well below the average of 1200 m³/capita for the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) region. Out of the available surface water resources of 2100 hm3, only about 1220 hm3 are expected to be captured for actual use. Eighteen existing dams, 21 projected dams and 235 hillside dams are expected to augment the available supply but rapid sedimentation of reservoirs will progressively reduce storage capacity and shorten life. Excessive groundwater extraction in the coastal regions of Cap Bon, Soukra and Ariana has resulted in saline intrusion in many areas leading to groundwater being unsuitable for further regions. Only 50% of all water resources have salinity levels lower than 1500 mg/l and can be used without restriction. 84% of all groundwater resources have salinity of more than 1500 mg/l, and 30% of the shallow aquifers more than 4000 mg/l.
Table 1 shows accessible (A) and available water (B) in Tunisia in hm3 per year for different time-horizons
| Accessible and Available Water in Tunisia| | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 |
2010 |
2020 | 2030 | |||||
| A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | |
| Large Dams | 1340 | 871 | 1800 | 1170 | 1750 | 1138 | 1750 | 138 |
| Hillside Dams and Lakes | 65 | 59 | 100 | 50 | 70 | 35 | 50 | 45 |
| Tubewells and springs | 997 | 997 | 1250 | 1150 | 1250 | 1000 | 1250 | 1000 |
| Open Wells | 720 | 720 | 720 | 720 | 720 | 620 | 720 | 550 |
| Reclaimed Water | 120 | 120 | 200 | 200 | 290 | 290 | 340 | 340 |
| Desalinated Water | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 49 | 49 |
| Total | 3249 | 2774 | 4080 | 3300 | 4104 | 3107 | 4159 | 3122 |
Read more about this topic: Water Supply And Sanitation In Tunisia
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