The WaterBlog

The thin lifeline: groundwater in the Nebhana system (Tunisia)

By Rahma Brini, Abdelhamid Mnajja, Mourad Ben Amor, Nabil Rehaiem, and  Yosri Gafsaoui                           Climate change and watershed degradation are taking their toll in the water system in Tunisia. Here is the story of the Nehbana Dam system, one of the most important hydraulic systems in Tunisia, and one that has been excessively studied.   Initially, the public irrigated perimeters (PIP’s) irrigated from the Nebhana dam system numbered eleven, but over the years the system was stretched further and the number of PIP’s became 32 with the dam capacity increasing to deliver 30 Mm3. As it stands now the system provides water for 7000 hectares of irrigated perimeters in Kairouan, Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia Governorates and as well as supply drinking water to the coastal region. Water supply for the irrigated perimeters has fluctuated year to year, but in the last five years there has been a dramatic declining… Continued