Tunis: President of the Republic Kais Saied at dawn on Tuesday made a visit to the Nebhana dam in the governorate of Kairouan, according to a Presidency of the Republic press release. 'This dam has not been maintained since 1969, making it unusable, in addition to the existence of criminal networks in the area which are damaging the water distribution pipesn' the same source explained. The Head of State then headed for the delegation of Menzel Harb in the governorate of Monastir, which, along with neighbouring governorates, is suffering an upsurge in water shortages.' Saied affirmed that 'the methodical and premeditated cutting off of water supply is a crime against the people and also affects the national security,' adding that 'the perpetrators of these criminal operations and those who carried them out will not remain unaccountable and unpunished.' He also went to the region of Grombalia (Governorate of Nabeul) where he noticed that 'the flow of water in the Tunis-Medjerda canal is normal, which confir ms that what is happening in certain regions of the Republic is the result of premeditated actions orchestrated by criminal networks targeting water distribution networks and power stations.' 'The State will not stand idly by while those who plan and carry out such iniquitous crimes deprive citizens of the simplest of rights, that of access to water,' Saied hammered. The President of the Republic on Monday afternoon paid a visit to the governorate of Jendouba, where he took stock of the water resources situation in the region. 'The State will not stand idly by while those who plan and carry out such iniquitous crimes deprive citizens of the simplest of rights, that of access to water,' Saied hammered. The President of the Republic on Monday afternoon paid a visit to the governorate of Jendouba, where he took stock of the water resources situation in the region. At the 'Bouhertma' and 'Barbara' dams, President Saied met with officials and a number of citizens, and listened to their concerns about the recu rring disruption to the distribution of drinking water in the region. It is an aberration that the people of the region are suffering from thirst when they are surrounded by dams, said the President, accusing 'parties' who are behind these water cuts, notably 'during this period.' The President of the Republic considered water cuts to be 'a nonsense,' especially 'in the presence of dams that store large quantities of fresh water.' He undertook to intervene as soon as possible to resolve this issue and urged the stakeholders to work as quickly as possible to find effective solutions to the problems that have plagued the Barbara dam for years. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse