Water Reuse Plants Enabling Sustainable Irrigation Across Rural Tunisia

Tunisia faces severe water scarcity driven by rapid urbanization, rising demand, and stressed freshwater reserves. To address this growing challenge, the country has been expanding wastewater treatment capacity to support safe and reliable water reuse in agriculture. These initiatives improve climate resilience, conserve freshwater, and strengthen rural livelihoods.

WABAG has contributed to this national effort by constructing new municipal wastewater treatment plants in Sidi Bou Ali and El Jem, along with rehabilitating and expanding the Ouardanine WWTP for ONAS. All three facilities enable high-quality treated wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation, helping farming communities cope with water shortages.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants with Robust Three-Stage Treatment

The plants utilize a comprehensive mechanical, biological, and tertiary treatment scheme to ensure high-quality treated effluent suitable for reuse in agriculture. Screening, grit removal, physico-chemical phosphorus removal, and secondary settling ensure reliable purification, while sand filtration and UV disinfection deliver the final level of safety and quality required for irrigation.

Strengthening Agricultural Water Security Through Safe Reuse

By producing treated wastewater suitable for irrigation, these plants help reduce pressure on limited freshwater resources. This supports farmers during drought periods and promotes long-term food security. The environmentally safe reuse approach also helps protect soils and agricultural ecosystems from contamination.