Najla stands in a queue beside a water truck, holding a container in one arm, and her daughter in the other. Hundreds of other people stand before and after Najla in the the dry dust awaiting a refill.

“We are farmers and we need water to protect our farms, families and cattle against thirst and death,” says Najla, increasingly worried that the water truck will empty before she is able to get her vital ration. It’s Eid, but Najla says even last year during the end of the Ramadan celebration, water was scarce.

Najla stands in a queue beside a water truck, holding a container in one arm, and her daughter in the other. Hundreds of other people stand before and after Najla in the the dry dust awaiting a refill.

“We are farmers and we need water to protect our farms, families and cattle against thirst and death,” says Najla, increasingly worried that the water truck will empty before she is able to get her vital ration. It’s Eid, but Najla says even last year during the end of the Ramadan celebration, water was scarce.

Across the northeastern province of Nabeul in Tunisia, a drastic water shortage is causing substantial damage to local agriculture, not to mention to people’s lives.

“It is very difficult for me to clean my house and to give a shower to my children,” says Najla, mother of five and a resident of the nearby al-Shaaba area. “Sometimes we stay a whole day without water,” added the concerned mother. 

Mass drought on the horizon?

Local experts warn that if the authorities do not take adequate measures in the near future, the water drought could lead to food shortages and thirst.

“The cultivation of citrus, strawberry and grapes requires huge quantities of water,” says Karim, an agricultural engineer and resident of the al-Karaymah area of Nabeul district, 65 km east of the capital city Tunis. “This has urged farmers to dig thousands of shallow and deep wells -29,000 – in Nabeul Province and this has led to the depletion of water resources. There is also the sea water leakage because farmers drill deep wells exceeding 120 meters in depth, which are often contaminated by salt water,” adds Karim.

Too many dams, not enough rainfall

Karim believes that despite the presence of 5 dams in the Nabeul province and 38 lakes, the conservation of water is still below the desired level.  Out of a total of 150 million cubic meters of rainfall, only 90 million cubic meters are collected in dams and lakes and huge quantities of water is wasted either in the sea or in valleys which flood.

These factors, combined with an increase in demand, have caused a major water shortage, says Karim. “The government has also not made adequate measures to contain the crisis,” he adds.

 The head of the Nabeul branch of the National Water Supply and Distribution Company (SONEDE), rejected accusations that his body was solely responsible for the water issue. “The cause of frequent interruptions of water supply is beyond the scope of the company’s responsibility,” Othman Bin Abdallah, the SONEDE spokesman, told Correspondents, adding: “The cause of water shortage is the damage of the main canal carrying water to rural areas and this is why the company was forced to cut off the water.”

Abdallah says the company is still owed money by many invoiced customers too, meaning budget is also low.  

Power struggle extending drought

For the time being, the dispute between the water provider and the public is being mediated by the Agriculture Developmental Complex, a quasi-governmental institution under the supervision of four ministries: agriculture, health, interior and finance.

These associations, as confirmed by the director of the Nabeul company, are now complaining about many breaches. The canals they use to pump water are not able to pump large quantities and this makes it difficult to take water to highland areas.

In the same context, a report issued by the technical committee in charge of investigating the circumstances and causes for the water shortage, revealed that the real reason for the crisis lies in the absence of coordination between SONEDE and the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company, the lack of an effective intervention plan in times of emergencies, and the absence of programs to meet the additional demand on drinking water at peak time.

The report also said that the most important shortcoming is the delay in the completion of the study of the different development projects which strengthen the collection and distribution of water system in the east coast of the country (the name given to the Nabeul province).

Bad things can be good

While the impasse continues, local entrepreneurs have found a way to profit from the crisis. “I go with my truck in the early morning to avoid traffic and I fill the water containers and then I sell the water,” says Riyad Dadash, a resident of the Kélibia city which is part of the Nabeul province, who has found a career filling the gap as an informal water provider.

Sitting behind his truck and pointing at the spring, Dadash says that “whoever goes there at the peak time will have to wait for a long time because everyone needs water for drinking and cleaning purposes.  There are those who have wells in their houses but they still come here to fill from this fresh and clean water.” Dadash says he isn’t the only water carrier: a growing industry is emerging with official channels failing to meet demand.

And with that, Dadash gets into his truck and drives off to sell water. But local residents are still hoping they’ll be able to turn their taps back on soon.