Tunis, June 9 — A small cabinet meeting on the water system, held on Tuesday and chaired by Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri, adopted a series of measures aimed at implementing programmes and strategic orientations in the field of drinking water.
These programmes aim to ensure the supply of potable water across all regions of the country, through strengthened coordination and monitoring by governors and relevant structures, as well as efforts to prevent disruptions and ensure rapid intervention to resolve any related issues, according to a statement from the Prime Ministry.
The main decisions announced during the meeting include the continued implementation of infrastructure projects in drinking water and irrigation, as part of future programmes for the 2026-2030 period, as well as the reorganisation of the rural drinking water supply system by gradually transferring the management of water schemes to the National Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE).
New projects will also be directly assigned to the utility to ensure the sustainability of investments, particularly in urban regions.
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The meeting also decided to require property developers to build rainwater harvesting reservoirs in new constructions under the national rainwater collection programme.
Other measures include the valorisation of non-conventional water resources and increasing their use in the agricultural sector, as well as completing planned inter-basin water transfer projects between northern dams and major drinking water systems.
The meeting further called for mobilising both surface and groundwater resources, adopting alternative energy sources to control water production and transport and modern technologies in water mobilisation and wastewater treatment, alongside continued energy efficiency programmes for the coming period.
It also instructed SONEDE to take all necessary measures to ensure the continuous supply of drinking water to citizens across all regions, including the adoption of smart meters.
Additional decisions include improving the efficiency of water distribution and transport networks, renewing damaged infrastructure, deploying smart leak detection and remote monitoring systems, prioritising interventions and strengthening water storage and distribution management to meet demand, ensure irrigation supply for the agricultural season and reduce wasteful consumption.
Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh and Secretary of State for Water, Hamadi Habaieb, presented a report during the meeting on the current water situation, dam reserves, the summer drinking water supply plan, the status of irrigation water and future strategies for non-conventional water resources.
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