The Construction of the Sfax seawater desalination project is due to commence in March this year Secretary of State for Water Resources and Fisheries Abdallah Rabhi said in a statement to media.
The project, implemented by the National Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE), aims to strengthen the supply of drinking water to the populations of the Sfax city on the coast in the east of Tunisia.
The project provides for the 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 and 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 plans to double the plant’s capacity (200,000 m³ of water per day) in the future.
Phase one of the project requires an overall investment of US $335m. The government has already received part of the finance some US $278m loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project is part of Phase II of the Industrial Areas Remediation Programme. The programme will see the 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, Utique, Bizerte, Enfidha, Oued El Bey, Monastir and Medjez El Bab.
TunisianMonitorOnline
