Water Management Issues in Southern Tunisia Under a Climate Change Context

Abstract

In the southern part of Tunisia, oases sustain an extreme arid climate. Their tributary to the underground water resources definitely weakens their viability. The continuous decrease in the aquifer level, coupled with the salt contamination risks coming from drainage water, make water management more complex in this particular water shortage context. The recurrent creation of newer private parcels has required more water allocation and the irrigation system capacity became unable to satisfy the water demand. This situation is exacerbated by the climate change impacts that are becoming increasingly evident. These regions experience more consecutive droughts while they have less access to reliable water resources. In order to face these challenges, water resources management should be improved; more efficient water management is required. Moreover, the farmers’ current practices have to include more water saving to meet the full capacity of the irrigation systems. This paper focuses on the preparedness of the irrigated sector within southern Tunisia to cope with the impacts of climate change. Our approach emphasizes the technical constraints to the feasibility of such new practices, as well as the socio-economic conditions prevailing within the southern Tunisia oases.