Water Demand Management and Non Conventional Resources

Abstract

After a preamble devoted to water demand management (WDM) principles in Tunisia, the chapter examines aspects relating to water supply and management conditions, and major challenges in water use key areas: drinking water and agriculture. Use of non conventional waters: desalination and treated wastewater reuse, are considered as an extension to demand management policies. For drinking water, WDM includes technical measures and pricing. Institutionally, the question arises of the long-term sustainability of the current dichotomous management for drinking water supply and sanitation. In irrigation, WDM strategy is based on modernization of collective irrigation systems, water savings at the plot, and pricing policies. Later sections analyze non conventional resources, desalination and wastewater recycling. Number of constraints hinder recycling large-scale development: inadequate treatments against salinity, restrictive uses due to treatment variability, state of repair of treatment plants, not conducive to maintaining acceptable quality levels. In 2010, the total desalination production was 40 million m³/year. Future desalination programs forecast to bring this capacity to almost 120 million m³ in 2030. The country is not equipped to face the challenges of such a perspective, but some measures may help, like appropriate regulations and standardization, institutional organization to plan, implement, evaluate and monitor the national water desalination program.