Construction of the Sfax seawater desalination project in Tunisia is set to commence in March this year. Abdallah Rabhi, the Tunisian Secretary of State for Water Resources and Fisheries revealed the report.
The project aims to strengthen the supply of drinking water to the populations of this city located on the coast in the east of Tunisia. It is being implemented by the National Company for the Exploitation and Distribution of Water (Sonede).
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Sfax desalination plant
The project entails construction of a desalination plant in the locality of Gargour, located 20 km from the city of Sfax. The plant will have a capacity of 100,000 m³ per day. The water treated in the plant will be stored in a reservoir.
The project also includes the construction of a pumping station and the laying of pipelines to bring drinking water to the city of Sfax. Sonede intends to double the plant’s capacity (200,000 m³ of water per day) in the future.
Phase one of the project require an overall investment of US $335m. The government has already received part of the finance; US $278m loan the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project is part of Phase II of the Industrial Areas Remediation Programme. The programme will see collection and treatment of wastewater discharged by plants to prevent it from discharging into wetlands and Mediterranean coasts. This will also benefit industrial areas of Moknine, Ben Arous, Utica, Bizerte, Enfidha, Oued El Bey, Monastir and Medjez El Bab.
