Residential water industry in Tunisia – a descriptive analysis

Water scarcity, climate change and population growth are already stressing the depletion of water supplies. Tunisia like most countries of the Middle East and North Africa region is experiencing severe water shortage problems. However, its water-use sectors are multiple and sometimes conflicting. This may call into question the ability of the current demand management policies to promote further conservation and sustainability of this natural resource. The main purpose of the current study is to shed some lights on the Tunisian water industry focusing mainly on the residential water sector. This latter is the most important use in an urban context because it is straightforwardly related to human survival and hygiene. The descriptive analysis shows, among others, that the residential water industry in Tunisia is far from simple regarding the implemented tariff structure, the involved cross subsidies between consumption blocks, etc. Indeed, despite the improvements in water supply, mobilisation, management and conservation, further efforts should be undertaken to promote the sustainability of the Tunisian water resources.