The Tunisia Local Stakeholder Workshop

The INECO Tunisia Partner CITET organized a local workshop for stakeholders and end-users, in Nabeul (60km south of Tunis) on May 8^th 2007, in the framework of INECO. The objective of the workshop was to discuss and exchange opinions on the focal water management problem of aquifer depletion.

The workshop brought together 46 participants, including of 15 secondary stakeholders, 13 technicians, 5 farmers, 12 representatives of Agriculture Development Groups (GDA), and 1 Media representative. The opening and closing sessions were presided by Mr. Sadok Amara: General Secretary of Nabeul Coordination Committee of the governing party of Tunisia (RCD), and moderated by Mr. Belgacem Hanchi, General Director of CITET.

The workshop included four (4) presentations:

• Sustainable Management and Governing Water resources in Nabeul region by Mr. Mongi Souilem, Deputy Director at the Regional Agriculture Development: CRDA of Nabeul.
• Exploitation of ground water resources in Nabeul region by Mr. Fayçal Jlassi, deputy director at CRDA of Nabeul.
• Recharge of ground water tables and water reuse by Mr. Moncef Rekaya, Director at CRDA of Nabeul.
• The INECO project and Focal problem analysis by Mr. Ahmed Bouzid, Consultant and project manager at CITET.

Different points were raised by 14 participants in the discussion session that followed, including:

• Water saving: Methods and equipment

• Water waste
• Valuing and sharing water resources
• Legislative issues
• Wastewater treatment and reuse

• Improving awareness of farmers
• Recharge of water tables and water mobilization
• Scientific research
• Sea intrusion
• Human and financial means of Agriculture Development Groups (GDA)
• Infrastructure

The main recommendations of the workshop were:

• Efficiently manage water valves of surface water resources (40% are actually used only)
• Monitor the exploitation of groundwater resources, by installing meters on wells boreholes
• Equip irrigated perimeters with appropriate equipment for drip irrigation
• Establish a monitoring system to control treated waste water quality before the recharge.
• Unify water tariffs
• Manage water tables by participatory and collaborative management
• Create a management organization for promoting aquifer recharge
• Elaborate a study on the participatory management of water tables
• Upgrade, consolidate and reinforce the Agriculture Development Groups (GDA)

• Reinforce extension and awareness of end-users on water conservation methods, exploitation of mobilized resources, and water reuse
• Reinforce soil conservation and water mobilization works (actually 500 hm³ are lost as run-off to the sea)
• Bring scientific research results near “GDA”
• Apply the regional Agricultural map
• Give more attention to pilot irrigation schemes and water valorisation at the economic level
• Increase farmers interest vis–a–vis collective management.
• Inter-basin transfer from the north should be made only for sustaining and safeguarding existing public irrigated perimeters than creating new ones
• It would be preferable if the INECO project focuses on one irrigated perimeter, rather than the whole region of Nabeul

On water governance issues, irrigated water resources management (organisational and institutional measures, technical tools) and participatory management of water tables (through GDA’s) are 2 important aspects which need further consideration. Therefore, they constitute future themes for the region in order to preserve water resources (implementation of clear management rules, reinforcing capacity building of GDA’s).

In conclusion, two main ideas emerged from the workshop:

• Management of water table devices.
• Participatory management of water tables.

Participants List

Full Workshop Report in French

Full Workshop Report in Arabic