Residents of Hammamet and members of the local civil society staged a sit-in in front of the Hammamet municipality on Sunday to demand urgent and lasting solutions to stop the dumping of waste water into the sea. In a statement to TAP, Salem Sahli, president of the Association for Environmental Education in Hammamet (AERE), said that Hammamet's beach was threatened by "an ecological disaster". He explained that the phenomenon of marine erosion had led to the deterioration of the sewage pipes, some of which were badly damaged. Unfortunately, their polluted water is being discharged into the sea, he lamented. This situation has dramatic environmental, health and economic consequences, especially as the sea is an important economic resource for the region and the main source of income for small-scale fishermen, he warned, Salem Sahli blamed the decision-makers, particularly those in charge of the Ministry of Environment and the National Sanitation Office, for this "catastrophe" and its serious environmental and health consequences for the population. He called for the necessary measures to be taken as soon as possible to combat marine pollution in Hammamet and for the necessary analyses to be carried out on the seawater. Pending the results of these chemical and microbiological analyses, he called for the beach in the centre of Hammamet to be placed on the list of beaches where bathing and fishing are prohibited. Salem Sahli also called for the damaged pipes to be replaced and moved away from the beach, expressing the hope that the expectations of the people of Hammamet would be met and that the promises made by the authorities would be kept. MP Yassine Mami (Nabeul constituency), who was present at the event, said that erosion was increasing along Hammamet's coastline. He said that the state must intervene as soon as possible to find a solution to this environmental problem, which is affecting one of Tunisia's most popular tourist destinations, the city of Hammamet. He added that the National Sanitation Utility has started work on a study for the maintenance and relocation of the sewerage network away from the beaches. The study will evaluate the project and estimate the cost of the work, he pointed out. "We hope that this study will move things forward and lead to the launch of the final project. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse