Water Increasing water needs and the danger of periodic drought leave Tunisia vulnerable to water shortage. Growing demand has already led to saline intrusion into some groundwater sources. Conservation, treatment, wastewater reuse in agriculture, and desalination are remedial options the government is pursuing. Air and Industrial Pollution Trucks and cars are responsible for two-thirds of Tunisia s air pollution. Thermo-electric power generating companies are the largest industrial air polluters, with cement factories, paper mills, oil refining, chemical industries, food companies and steel producers also contributing.
Most water contaminated by industrial processes is dumped, untreated, into the sea.
Tunisia is fairly advanced in terms of monitoring atmospheric pollution levels. Four fixed-site and mobile air quality monitoring stations are operating and twelve more are planned to be in place by 2001. Solid Waste Municipalities collect over 1.2 million tons of household garbage annually. Problems with solid waste exist at the collection and disposal levels. The existing 66 dumpsites are uncontrolled and solid waste is not segregated before collection.