This winter has been the cruellest season in North Africa. Now, one month after winter should have arrived, it hasn’t rained yet.
For years now, North Africa has been grappling with aridity, extreme heat in summer, and drought. The modest precipitation trends risk exacerbating the water scarcity issue in the region.
Last summer, many Tunisian families complained of repetitive water supply interruptions amid discontent with the degradation of public services in the wake of the events that led to the ouster of former President Ben Ali.
“According to the World Resources Institute,” as cited in The Economist, “North Africa is the most water-stressed region in the world, alongside the Middle East.” This situation is expected to exacerbate problems of poverty, inequality, and famine in the region.
Poor government water policy is another reason behind the crisis in Tunisia. Dams have not been rehabilitated for years according to local observers and no new ones have been built while the population kept growing.
Ain Drahem is a village in North-Western Tunisia where many Tunisian families would vicariously enjoy a European winter as the European style village and the forests around it are covered in snow. This year, the village looks less European with constant sunshine.
Meanwhile, others chose to go for winter swims in unusually warm water in this time of the year.
