A Tunísia está situada no norte da África às margens doMar Mediterrâneo, entre a Argélia e a Líbia.

Área:
total: 163 610 km²
terras: 155 360 km²
água: 8 250 km²

Extensão das fronteiras:
total: 1 424 km
países vizinhos: Argélia 965 km, Líbia 459 km

Extensão do litoral: 1 148 km

Águas territoriais: <pt />Zona contígua: 24 milhas náuticas
Mar territorial: 12 milhas náuticas

Clima: temperado mediterrânico ao norte, com chuvas moderadas no inverno e verões quentes; clima desértico no sul.

Relevo: montanhoso ao norte, ocupado pelos montes Atlas; planície central quente e seca; áreas semiáridas ao sul se fundem com o deserto do Saara.

Hidrografia: No norte corre o único rio perene do país, oMedjerda, em seu vale se desenvolve a atividade agrícola, que emprega 30% da mão-de-obra. Na região central existe um imenso chott (lago salgado quase sempre seco), o Chott el Jerid, que divide sensivelmente ao meio o território da Tunísia.

Extremos de altitude:
Ponto mais baixo: Chott el Gharsa, -17 m
Montanha mais alta: Jabal ash Shanabi, 1.544 m

Recursos naturais: petróleo, fosfatos, minério de ferro, chumbo, zinco, sal, terras cultiváveis

Uso da terra:
Terras aráveis: 19%
Áreas de cultivo permanente: 13%
Pastagens permanentes: 20%
Florestas e bosques: 4%
Outras: 44% (1993 est.)

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The nation which sparked the Arab Spring is engaged in a national conversation as to what should be the basic legal rules and structure for the nation.  As part of this, the draft Tunisian constitution (pdf)is being discussed in a series of meetings across the country and, in that draft form, has many articles and elements presented with alternative versions that make clear this draft is not the finished product.  Noting that I am far from an expert in international constitutional law, glancing through this draft uncovers many intriguing elements.

Two clauses are of particular interest/relevance for the subject matter of this blog.

• Article 33 asserts “sustainable development” and makes “protection of [the] environment” a “responsbility of the state, institutions, and people.”
• Article 34 focuses on water, asserting that everyone has “the right to water” and making this a state responsibility to “protect water resources” and assure competent management of water resources and the fair distribution of water.

In part to put substance behind these, article 130 creates the “Authority of Sustainable Development and Rights of Future Generations”.  This authority “shall have cognisance over the general policies of the state,  at the  economic, social  and environmental levels, with a view to attaining sustainable development that can guarantee the rights of future generations.”  The Authority will have the responsibility to review all draft laws and government development plans.  As part of this, all of “the Authority’s opinions … shall be published” along with, if the Authority’s recommendations weren’t implemented, explanations as to why the Authority’s recommendations were not followed.

If these articles make it through to the actual constitution, Tunisia will join several other nations with such core constitutional protections for the envrionment.

In ecologically diverse Ecuador, which encompasses the Galapagos Islands as well as parts of the Amazon rainforest, rights for nature were added to its constitution in 2008. Just [in 20111], in Bolivia, eleven new rights for nature were added to the constitution, protecting it from pollution, massive development, and genetic alteration.

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In pursuit of better health, Tunisians are visiting thermal, mineral and seawater spas and adding pricey bottled water to their family budgets. And with no limit to the natural resource, entrepreneurs see boundless opportunity.

Thousands of domestic and foreign visitors to the health resorts of Qrbes, Bourguiba, Jebel Oust and Beni M'tir believe that the restorative powers of the water heal illnesses ranging from insomnia to allergies. All treatments use local water and herbs from nearby mountains and forests.

Investor Fayez Rouissi, who is building a health resort on the giant reservoir near Beni M'tir, is determined to use local resources.

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A sweltering heat wave has swept through Tunisia, disrupting both electrical and water supplies just days before Ramadan begins. Extreme heat destabilizes electrical cables, with as many as three cables a day fraying under the pressure in some cities. Disruptions in the electricity supply in turn cause water pipes to malfunction, leaving many homes, businesses and hospitals without a steady supply of either.

In a surprise but welcome move that prioritizes people over commerce, the National Water Supply and Distribution Company (SONEDE) in Gabes cut its water supply to a chemical company that has long threatened the southern city’s water resource.

Unprecedented Highs

The National Institute of Meteorology reports that an unprecedented rise in atmospheric pressure from the great desert is responsible for the heat wave that has caused such havoc in Tunisia, according to Tunisia-Live.

Temperatures of 42-47°C have been recorded in the past week, reports engineer Sahar Shickhawi.

“All the temperature data that we gather are from shaded areas, but sunny areas are normally 4-7 °C hotter, so we must account for that. In the summer, we are used to the temperature being in between 32-36 °C in the coastal areas and 38 to 42 °C the interior regions in the month of July,” Shickhawi explained.

Although energy shortages have rarely lasted for more than two hours, according to SONEDE employee Mohamed Sadoke, which pales in comparison to 12 hour energy shortages in Lebanon, Gabes residents preparing for the Ramadan fast are concerned.

Energy and Water Shortages Become “Complicated”

One housewife told Tunisia-Live that the situation is becoming more “complicated.”

But for hospital workers and patients, the shortages are more than complicated. Men and women with broken legs haven’t received treatment at the Regional Hospital of Gabes since the X-Ray machines can’t function without electricity. And Hospital Tahr Sfar atop a mountain on the coast was without water for nearly a week.

In order to alleviate supply disruptions to Gabes residents, SONEDE has cut off water supply to the local chemical manufacturing plant which has historically used more than its fair share of both water and electricity.

“We cut the water supply on the chemical complex because we have to prioritize,” said Mbarak Haddad, the switch board operator of Gabes SONEDE.

In Gabes, people are more important than chemicals.

:: Tunisia Live

Image credit: Blue water pots in Tunisia, Shutterstock

More on the Region’s Heat Wave:

Safari Animals Get Blood, Fruit and Fish Popsicles to Cool Off

The Wrath of Global Warming and the Middle East

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Gwen Wilson, British Red Cross hygiene promoter delegate, has been in Tunisia for a week and is there to help in the camps serving thousands of people fleeing civil war in Libya. Here, she reports back on what she is seeing and how the situation is evolving:

Although new arrivals across the border had decreased substantially a couple of days before I arrived (down from 10,000 to 2,000 a day), they have increased again – last Wednesday 6,500 arrived and a couple of people had gunshot wounds.

I’m currently working at a camp for 17,000 people, which was set up by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) – where they are building 300 latrines.

Refugee from Libya getting water from a puddle

The sanitation situation in the camp is difficult, there are limited water supplies, especially for latrines so it’s not possible to organise cleaning of latrines at the moment.

I’m focusing on hygiene promotion and I’m looking at the issue of hand washing facilities, which are lacking. One thing I asked our technical team back in the UK to advise me on is to find out if sand is as effective as ash as a substitute for soap – as sand is one thing we are not in short supply of out here!

Our health adviser gave this response: “Hand washing with soap decreases the risk of diarrhoeal diseases and is critical in hand washing as the best cleaning agent. A few reviews have demonstrated that some substitutes (sand, ash, mud) are as equally effective as soap in removing faecal coliforms from hands when used properly. However, some of these substitutes can be too harsh on the skin and can damage the outer surface of the skin and lead to skin problems. Whichever method is used, appropriate hand washing techniques should be taught/used and the skin properly dried. In the short term, sand can be used as an alternative but it should always be used in combination with water and not alone.”

At the moment the camps are being used mostly as a transit place for those fleeing Libya – as the majority are not actually Libyan refugees but migrant workers escaping the escalating violence. As yet, the reason why there are not more Libyans fleeing the country remains unclear.

Many of the migrants arrive at the camp utterly exhausted after gruelling journeys, but they only stay for a few days until they can organise to get back to their home countries. However, for some like those from Somalia and Eritrea the camp may not be merely a transit place, and they may end up staying longer.

Within the UNHCR camp, they are thinking of making a separate area for those people so they become more of a community and can cook for themselves and get on more with daily life.

Food in the camp is becoming an issue – many local Tunisians have been providing food, but that is understandably drying up and not sustainable – they could not continue to provide food for thousands of people. When I arrived I saw people queuing for 5/6 hours for meals. There’s not much food at all available to buy near the camp, and addressing the issue of food is clearly an urgent priority.

Apart from the transit camps there are also thousands of people waiting for flights at the airport. It has become a sort of camp and there are very limited toilet and washing facilities and some people are there for days so I will also be doing some hygiene promotion work there.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, working with the Tunisian Red Crescent, is also in the process of constructing a camp for up to 10,000 people. It should be ready soon and so this is another place where I will also be involved in looking at the hygiene and sanitation situation.

There is a lot of work to be done out here but we are all working together – people from different nationalities and different organisations – to do as much as we can for the thousands of people fleeing from a desperate situation.

But my last word has to go to the Tunisian Red Crescent volunteers who are doing an excellent job under very challenging circumstances and I’m so impressed by their commitment.

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Surface water resources in Tunisia are characterized by problems of quantity and quality. These resources are limited because of the semi-arid to arid climate found in most of the country, with episodic droughts, and a natural deterioration of water quality because of the salty types of rocks found within the country.

Tunisia receives on average 230 mm/year of rainfall; that is 36 billion cubic meters (bcm) of rainfall. However, this volume varies between 11bcm during a drought year and 90 bcm during a very wet year.

The variability of the climate under the Mediterranean influence in the north and under the Saharan influence in the south make rainfall at the same time scarce and unequally distributed in space and time. The annual precipitation is on average 594 mm in the north, 289 mm in the center and only about 150 mm in the south. The ratio between the highest observed values and the lowest observed values of precipitation vary from 4.4 in the north to 15.8 in the south,

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A desertificação é um tipo de degradação ambiental passível de ocorrer nas regiões de clima seco do mundo, principalmente em virtude da forma como se dá a exploração das terras aí localizadas. Grande parte da Tunísia encontra-se susceptível a esse impacto ambiental, levando em consideração que extensões consideráveis do seu território apresentam predomínio de uma pluviosidade muito baixa. Ainda assim, nem sempre a desertificação se fará presente nessas terras, cuja presença será determinada pelo tipo e intensidade do uso dos solos. O Trabalho de Campo desenvolvido na região centro-sul desse país, onde ocorrem os climas semiárido e árido, permitiu observar resultados diferentes em relação a essa questão ambiental. Em uma parte dessa região, técnicas de manejo dos solos e das águas utilizadas na organização do território praticadas a milhares de anos continuam a ser alternativas viáveis para dar sustentabilidade à agricultura e, juntamente com o uso de técnicas modernas, tem evitado o esgotamento dos solos e dos recursos hídricos. Esses exemplos mostram que a convivência com as secas, aliada a produção econômica de forma sustentável, é possível de ocorrer nesses ambientes, podendo algumas dessas técnicas serem reproduzidas no Brasil, particularmente na zona semiárida nordestina. Da mesma forma, o controle do movimento de dunas continentais foi outro aspecto positivo observado, também possível de ser reproduzido em algumas áreas do território brasileiro onde ocorre esse fenômeno. Por outro lado, percebeu-se que a crescente necessidade de solos férteis e água para serem utilizados na agricultura comercial da Tunísia, vem expandindo essa atividade em direção a algumas partes dessa região ainda pouco exploradas para esse fim e que apresentam esses recursos naturais, trazendo como consequência o recuo do uso tradicional dessas terras, baseado originalmente na pecuária extensiva, atividade que passa a se desenvolver mais intensamente em lugares onde os recursos hídricos e a vegetação são menos abundantes, provocando uma exploração mais acelerada dos mesmos, desenvolvendo a superpastagem e tornando a desertificação uma marca cada vez mais presente em algumas paisagens dessa parte do país. Learn more »