It was when rubbish was left on the streets for days that people began to protest. They feared that the spread of illnesses would result in a loss of livelihoods if tourists stayed away from Djerba, the popular holiday island off the coast of Tunisia. The protests escalated as people demanded a quick solution to an imminent disaster.

It was when rubbish was left on the streets for days that people began to protest. They feared that the spread of illnesses would result in a loss of livelihoods if tourists stayed away from Djerba, the popular holiday island off the coast of Tunisia. The protests escalated as people demanded a quick solution to an imminent disaster.

Djerba Island, often described by Europeans as the Island of Dreams, turned into a centre of violent confrontation between citizens and the police on 18 September. The fighting erupted against the backdrop of a general strike in which most of Tunisia’s industrial sectors took part.

Government promises

The strike’s aim was to attract the attention of Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa and force him to keep the government’s previous promises. But the authorities’ inability to respond immediately to protestors’ demands created tension, and peaceful protests excalated into bloody clashes as security forces dispersed protesters with clubs and tear gas.

Muneer Trabolsi, a student, was one of the six detainees arrested during the incidents, joining thousands of people who took to the streets to demand action on the polluted climate and the tons of foul-smelling, insect-ridden rubbish. Since he is only sixteen, he was detained for less than 24 hours before being referred to the juvenile court, who decided to release him.

The decisions from the Tunisian authorities are characterized by contradiction. The island’s population have rejected all the solutions suggested by consecutive governments after the revolution that toppled President Ben Ali’s regime in 2011.

Three years ago, the Environment Ministry responded to the demands of the people of Kalala and Rasghin, the southwestern parts of the island, and closed a 29-hectare waste pit called Malita which had been established in 2007 in a residential area. It was found to be harmful to the environment and people’s health, but the decision to close the waste pit without finding an alternative led to problems clearing rubbish, part of which had to be moved off the island.

Tourism damaged

The protests led Prime Minister Jomaa to try what his predecessor Hamadi Jebali had failed to do. He re-opened the another drain to solve the environmental problem temporarily until some new projects could treat the rubbish with more modern technology.

The islanders rejected this temporary measure and clashed with police to express their dissatisfaction. “This quick-fix will remain inadequate,” said Mohamed Koja, a university professor and civil activist who lives on the island. “The ultimate solution will be to build modern facilities to incinerate or recycle the waste.”

In his opinion, the real solution is to learn from previous crises and bring about radical changes in the island’s architectural plans by putting an end to the urbanization of the island’s countryside.

Koja added that Djerba Island had a unique eco-system – he called it an “oasis keeping up with civilization” that cannot afford to be turned into an urban area. “But we placed urban, architectural, investments, and social pressures on it and so its situation has deteriorated,” he said.

Desertification

Koja also stressed that the waste crisis is not the only problem, as desertification and pollution “have reached the land, sea, and even minds.” If it is allowed to continue, “the island’s future will be disastrous,” he said.

Lina Ben Mohanna, an activist and blogger from Djerba, said the Tunisian authorities have not responded to the appeals of the islanders, many of whom have suffered from ill health. She insisted that they are peaceful, but that the government habitually responds with a security crackdown because it considers any form of protest a kind of barbarism that threatens chaos.

“Our government resorted to the easy solution, namely oppression and forcing people back to their homes without taking things seriously,” she explained, adding that the actions of local officials had to be investigated in light of Djerba’s waste crisis.

Crisis of trust

This environmental situation has created a crisis of trust between the government and certain elements of civil society, as well as resentment among owners of hotels, tourist attractions, and businesses. The local chamber of industry and commerce decided to stop paying taxes to the government until a solution to the island’s waste disposal crisis was found. The chamber even called on people to boycott Tunisia’s parliamentary and presidential elections, though this threat was not taken seriously by most political factions.

Ahmed Najib Shabbi, Republican Party candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, demanded that the central authority moves urgently to stop the impending environmental and health disaster – especially with the approaching rainy season.

In a press statement, Shabbi called on President Moncef Marzouki to order the army to help the islanders until the authorities open new waste pits, treat rubbish and transform it into useful fertilizers without causing further air and water pollution.

The continuing arrest of detainees was also a major legal controversy and led more than 100 lawyers to volunteer to defend them. Lina said there is no justification for trying them while they are imprisoned. “It would have more helpful to try them while free, so as to absorb the people’s outrage, alleviate the situation, and avoid the increasing tension,” she said.