Contaminants of Emerging Concern in (Waste) Water: Evaluating the Knowledge Status Among Decision-Makers and Stakeholders in Tunisia

Abstract

Substantial scientific progress was registered in Tunisia for addressing Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CECs) in (waste) water. However, the state of knowledge among decision-makers and stakeholders remained overlooked. The objective of this pioneering study, undertaken under the flagship of UNESCO-IHP International Initiative on Water Quality (IIWQ), aims to evaluate knowledge status and gaps, and awareness level among stakeholders and decision-makers, about CECs in water resources. A survey including 70 questions, covering various aspects, was performed in nine of the governmental institutions in charge of (waste) water sector and three NGOs, gathering in total 41 interviewees. Even though 35% were working for institutions holding analytical equipment for CEC analysis, more than 75% either could hardly define or had no idea about CECs. Actually, 32% of the interviewees heard about CECs for the first time, and out of these 32, 58% recognized CECs in a list of substances, obviously after having looked for the information; this a valuable achievement for raising awareness and spreading information. As the topic was likely still emerging, 57% of interviewees had no idea about on-going CECs-related scientific research in Tunisia. For more than 60%, there is no national policy/strategy dealing with CECs in (waste) water and the environment. Surprisingly, for 38%, protecting the environment against CECs was not a national priority. Lack of collaboration within institutions was among the obstacles. Raising awareness, carrying scientific studies, capitalizing human and analytical capacities, and knowledge dissemination were set as priority actions.