The Tunisian Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE) has just launched a preliminary programme of 71 projects in various regions of the country, at a cost of around TND 44 million, in preparation for the 2024 summer season. These include the construction, development, electrification and connection of 48 deep underground wells in areas supplied entirely by groundwater, the upgrading of saturated supply and distribution networks, and the necessary maintenance and upgrading of pumping equipment. SONEDE also plans to improve water demand management by rationalising consumption and saving water. It also plans to commission two desalination plants, in the Zarat and Sfax regions, before the 2024 summer season and to coordinate with the Tunisian electricity and gas company (STEG) within the framework of the Joint Technical Committee in order to avoid sudden power cuts. In this context, SONEDE has reported an imbalance between the water resources available at national level and the needs expressed by the main system s (Greater Tunis, Cap Bon, Sfax and the south-east of the country). The company has therefore developed a strategy to meet the increased demand for water in the short and medium term, based on the continued transfer of surplus water from the north to the metropolitan areas of Tunis and the governorates of the centre, Cap Bon, Sahel and Sfax. Efforts will also focus on increasing water resources in certain regions without exploitable local resources through desalination of local saline groundwater and seawater, particularly in the southern governorates, Sfax and the Sahel region (Sousse, Monastir, and Mahdia). Source: EN - Agence Tunis Afrique Presse