Treated wastewater use in Tunisia: lessons learned and the road ahead.

Abstract

AbstractWith per capita freshwater availability of around 450 m3, Tunisia is one of the most drought-stressed countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In the MENA region, and indeed worldwide, Tunisia along with Israel, has been recognised as a leader in the area of wastewater reclamation and use. This chapter presents the case of a middle-income country that has pursued a conscious strategy of treated wastewater reuse in agriculture with a fair measure of success. The current status of wastewater treatment and the use of treated wastewater in agricultural irrigation are reviewed. The impacts of water quality are discussed in this context, and the institutional, legal, and economic aspects analysed. The final section presents the lessons learned from the Tunisian experience and the options and hurdles for expanding the scope of treated wastewater use in agriculture. The key findings are that despite strong government support, treated wastewater use in irrigation has faced several constraints, chief among them being problems of social acceptance, agronomic considerations and sanitation, and restrictive regulations that have tended to limit its full potential for development. Further, the multiplicity of agencies and overlapping institutional responsibilities have also tended to limit the potential for expansion. Through its carefully phased approach to treated wastewater use and the concomitant development of a regulatory framework that prohibits untreated wastewater use, Tunisia has significantly mitigated the environmental and public health risks associated with untreated wastewater use elsewhere in the world.