Similarly to the rest of Southern Mediterranean countries, the main concern of Tunisia with regard to water management is linked to droughts, their causes and impact mitigation.

The probability of 2 successive dry ^[1] years is relatively high (2-4 times/90 years in the northern and central part of the country and 6 times/90 years in the southern part). The succession of 3 years is less (1 time/90 years in the northern part and 2-3 times in the central and southern parts of the country). A succession of 4 dry years has not been registered yet. Rainfall occurs throughout the year but at times exhibits temporal instability.

The country is also affected by periodic floods, which are often catastrophic and supply additional water, which is difficult to manage.

The geologic formations of the central part of the country present high erosion risk. The majority of surface run-off is lost to the sea. Additionally, there are phenomena of land degradation and desertification after torrential rainfall events.

One of the major problems in the country is the reduction of surface water storage due to sedimentation, which decreases the dams’ useful lifetime and limits their capacity. The situation is aggravated by the arid climate and torrential rainfalls, as well as the low vegetation density.

Water supply is at times intermittent, due to the reduction of available volume at the distribution level, resulting from damages in pumping equipment or conveyance networks.Excessive application of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture results in water quality deterioration and pollution of groundwater resources by phosphates and nitrates. The uncontrolled discharge from developing industrial sectors may lead to the pollution of rivers, water tables, lakes and the sea by liquid and solid wastes. However, water pollution is still considered an accidental phenomenon and of less importance when compared to water shortage. 

Irrigation methods applied in certain regions still result in overconsumption. Earthquake risk is minor in Tunisia; however it should be taken into account in the design and construction of large dams.

Water is an economic good and its exploitation should be justified by the economic output of water use. However, it is widely acknowledged that priorities imposed by socio-economic considerations, such as supply of potable water and irrigation of crops of strategic importance should be respected. The collection of fees from consumers is at times inadequate, resulting to the lack of financial resources for the development groups associations.

As a result of the current situation regarding socio-economic development and intensive exploitation of resources, many improvements should be made in the current water-related legislation, which focuses on the exploitation of resources, rather than demand regulation. There is therefore pressing need to introduce legislative and regulatory measures for: 

• Promoting water conservation.
• Regulating the construction of infrastructure and improving the management of phreatic water tables, with the overall aim to protect groundwater resources from over-exploitation.

The open economy from the one side and the scarcity of the resources on the other are bound to create competition in water use. This will eventually lead to the establishment of water markets, allowing for the exploitation of water by uses of high value and cause a shift towards a more economically efficient water allocation. 

There is need to orient the water sector towards:

• Decentralisation in water management and participation of water users in decision-making.
• Integrated resource management.
• Resource conservation and environmental protection.