Water supply and sanitation in Tunisia

Access

In 2015, 98% of Tunisian population had access to "improved water", 100% of the urban population and 93% of the rural population. Subsequently, there were, in 2015, 253 thousand people lacking access to "improved" water. Regarding sanitation, in 2015, 92% of the population had access to "improved" sanitation, 98% and 80%, urban and rural population, respectively. The total number of people that, in 2015, lacked access to "improved" sanitation was around 944 thousand people.

According to the Joint Monitoring Program by WHO and UNICEF, 96% of the Tunisian population had access to an improved water source and 90% to improved sanitation in 2004. Between 1990 and 2011, access to water increased from 81% to 96%, while the access to sanitation increased from 75% to 90%.

Tunisia has achieved the highest access rates to water supply and sanitation services among the MENA countries through sound infrastructure policy. 96% of urban dwellers and 52% of the rural population already have access to improved sanitation. By the end of 2006, access to safe drinking water has been expected to be close to universal (approaching 100% in urban areas and 90% in rural areas).

According to the Tunisian Ministry of Development and International Cooperation, in 2006 92.6% of the population had access to drinking water in homes.

Continuity of supply

Tunis, the capital of Tunisia is able to provide 24-hour water with a supply of 110 litres per capita and day. The continuity of supply is very good with respect to regional standards as it ensures good quality water throughout the year and has the lowest percentage of non-revenue water in the region.

Drinking water quality

Tunisia provides a good drinking water quality throughout the year. The quality of the water supplied by SONEDE and GBRE/ACI in rural areas varies according to local conditions. Drinking water quality is monitored from production to distribution from bacteriological and physico-chemical quality. The national water distribution utility (SONEDE) and the Ministry of Health undertake this monitoring.

Sewer services

The rate of connection to sewerage network in Tunisian urban areas increased from 20.6% in 1975 to 35.9% in 1987, and further up to 81.6% in 2007.

Wastewater treatment

Since 1960, Tunisia has engaged in studies of the re-use of wastewater. Currently, 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres), planted primarily with orchards and for livestock feed, use treated water for irrigation consistent with national law. The number of waste water treatment plants has gradually risen in the last decade and it is expected to reach 83 in 2006. Currently, 61 wastewater treatment plants are in operation with 9,650 km (6,000 mi) of wastewater network collecting 178 hm³ (million cubic metres) wastewater. The largest wastewater treatment plant is situated in Choutrana with a daily performance of 120,000 m³.

Water use

The consumption of water was estimated at more than 2.4 km³ in Tunisia in which year?. In 1996, 86% of the water withdrawals were from agriculture. The water sector is also obliged to meet the increasing water demand for all urban and rural areas, the agriculture sector as well as for touristic and industrial needs. Through the management and development of water resources, available water resources increased from 2.76 km³ in 1991 to 3.525 km³ in 2000. It is planned that the supply will reach 4.6 km³ by 2010. This will mainly be done by developing unconventional resources, including the use of treated sewage water. According to estimations for the year 2030 by the Ministry of Agriculture, the demand of water would be stabilized of 2.7  km³ per year, even if the supposed population of Tunisia in 2030 will be about 13 million people and given today's regular demand would result in a demand of 3.1  km³ per year.

Evolution of water policy in Tunisia

The Water policy in Tunisia from the beginning of the second half of the 20th century until the 1970s contained the limited mobilization of the resources - with the construction of dams and reservoirs

From the beginning of the 1980s there was an enforcement of the dam policy and application of the Plans Directeurs des Eaux (Water Master Plan).

In 1990 the Decennial Strategy (1990–2000) for the Mobilization of Water Resources and the Maximum Mobilization Maximale of available Resources was set up. This strategy was devised and implemented in order to provide integrated control of potential water sources. The cost of this ten-year strategy approached two billion US dollars. The following table shows the perspective concerning water resources in Tunisia:

Recent developments

In 2003, the Ministry of Agriculture published the Water Master Plan for the water sector Two main strategic options were identified and implemented: the 10 years strategy of water resources mobilization (2001–2011) initiated for the 1st time in 1990, and the long-term strategy (2030).

Policy and regulation

The Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources sets policies concerning conventional water resources in Tunisia, while the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development governs sanitation, wastewater and environmental planning. Its hydraulic works section, the Diréction Générale des Grands Barrages et des Grands Travaux Hydrauliques (DGBGTH), is responsible for the construction of major water resources projects.

Water Resources Management

Compared to other North African countries, Tunisia has developed and adopted numerous laws and plans regarding its water resources not only recently. Water Master Plans (WMP) exist already since 1970, when a first WMP was drafted for the Northern part of Tunisia, as this is the region containing most of the resources and related activities. The Centre and South successively followed, 1977 and 1983 respectively. The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources developed these Plans, which is also responsible for the implementation and allocation of water resources.

The relatively high vulnerability of Tunisia’s water resources has led to numerous programmes and projects aiming at improving water use efficiency. The current status, major deficits and core strategies are well described in Tunisia’s country report on the water sector. Out of all relevant programs, the following national policies can be deduced:

a) The continuous development and mobilization of available water resources in order to reach a mobilization rate of 95%.

b) The integrated management of water resources, in particular the enhancement of transferring excess water volumes from rainy periods to seasons of drought.

c) Water saving and the control of demand across all sectors.

d) The further development of non-conventional water resources through expanding the use of treated wastewater in agriculture and desalinating brackish water for uses across all sectors.

e) The protection of water resources against pollution and over-exploitation.

In order to fulfill these policies, three major strategies have been put into place:

1. The Decennial Water Resources Mobilization Strategy (1990–2000): The major priority of this strategy is the increase of supply. The construction of more than 200 small and large dams and the drilling of more than 1000 deep groundwater wells have led to improvements of use of Tunisia's available water resources from 60% in 1990 to 87.5% in 2004. The total budget for the strategy was 2000 MTD (million Tunisian dinar) = 1678 million USD).

2. The complementary strategy (2001–2011): The strategy attempts to realize long-term objectives, in particular the sustainable balance of demand and available water resources. It partly consists of similar measures compared to the mobilization strategy, aiming at reaching a mobilization rate of 95%.

Furthermore, the strategy puts an emphasis on regulation measures between wet and dry years, water and soil conservation measures, and the recharge of aquifers. The decennial strategy is divided into two 5-year plans, the Xth development plan (2002–2006) and the XIth development plan (2007–2011).

3. The long-term strategy (until 2030): The long-term strategy mainly builds up on the Water Master Plans for the north, center and south of Tunisia described in section 2. The strategy consists of a high number of studies and research programs with the target to plan and manage water resources more efficiently on a long run.

Water supply

The National Water Supply Authority in Tunisia (SONEDE) is responsible for the provision of water supply services in Tunisia. SONEDE is a public non-administrative entity placed under supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Hydraulic Resources (MAERH).

Planning and investment for the allocation of drinking water in rural areas is conduced by the Direction Générale du Genie Rurale (DGGR), which acts in the framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and user associations (Groupements d’interêt collectif (GIC)).

The water sector in Tunisia has so far only seen very limited private participation. To date, private participation in the water sector is limited to a contracting programme. Despite a 1999 study on contracting, very few activities have been contracted out (security and cleaning).

Sanitation

The Office National de l'Assainissement (ONAS),is responsible for the sanitation in cities, industrial and tourist zones. The mandate of the ONAS also includes protection of the environment. In 1974, ONAS has been established in order to manage the sanitation sector. Since 1993, ONAS got the status of a main operator for protection of water environment and combating pollution.

Missions of ONAS:

The Directorate of Rural Engineering is responsible for sanitation in rural zones not covered by ONAS, and the municipalities are responsible for collecting and disposing of solid waste as well as drainage systems for the flow of rainwater.

Economic efficiency

Labor productivity. In 2012, SONEDE had around 7016 employees. ONAS had 5500 employees as of 2002. The number of employees per 1000 connections for water only was 2.9, down from 4.1 in 2002. It was much higher adding the ONAS employees and thus above international standards.

Non-revenue water. Non-revenue water for SONEDE stood at 20,7% in 2012, up from only 14% in 2000.

Tariffs

Drinking water tariffs are uniform throughout the country. They include a fixed part and a variable part that depends on the consumption of water. As of September 2016, the variable part of the drinking water tariffs in Tunisia was as follows:

The exchange rate of the Tunisian Dinar to the US Dollar is 1.00 TND = $0.604 US.

All users, except for the tourism industry, are subject to paying the above variable tariffs. The price of drinking water for the tourism industry is 1.315 DT/m³ regardless of consumption.

The fixed part of the tariff depends on the diameter of the water meter.

All drinking water tariffs are subject to an 18% value added tax.

Tariffs are adjusted based on proposals by SONEDE and ONAS to their respective Boards and the government (Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Hydraulic Resources, and the Ministry of Finance). Sometimes, these requests are refused. Sanitation fees are invoiced and collected by SONEDE. Water and wastewater tariffs were increased by 7 percent in July 2013. It was only the second increase in the last ten years. Tariffs were increased again in September 2016 by about 10 percent on average.

Cost recovery

SONEDE covers its operation and maintenance costs (and a small fraction of the investment costs) with its revenues. Before the Arab spring, defaulting on water bills was only about 4-5%, but it fell to 30% in the aftermath of the revolution. In 2012 it was back to less than 10%. A quarter of the utilities’ debt is owed by public institutions. SONEDE runs an annual deficit of TND82 million ($50 million). The average cost of a cubic metre is TND0.716 ($0.44) and it is sold at TND0.570 ($0.35). ONAS depends even more on subsidies. For example, the state repays the principal of its loans while ONAS must service only the interest.

Investment

The investments of ONAS should go from 390 million TD in the 9th Plan to 525 million TD in the 10th Plan, i.e. an increase of 32%. Compared to the SONEDE investments in the water sector, investment in the sanitation sector remains higher. This is an important point as in the majority of other developing countries sanitation is neglected with respect to water supplies. The corollary is that sanitation prices are high with respect to regional standards, showing a sustained effort in the collection of costs which is absent in almost all other developing countries.

Financing

Concerning the sector financing, the situation in Tunisia represent is shown in the figure below in MTD.