Tunisia to host 5th Mediterranean Water Forum, Feb.5-7

The 5th Mediterranean Water Forum will held next February 5-7 in Tunis, at the initiative of the Tunisian Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE) and the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME). Organised under the aegis of the World Water Council (WWC) under the theme: "Together for Shared Water Sobriety," the forum is part of the Mediterranean preparatory process for the 10th World Water Forum, due next May 18-24 in Bail (Indonesia). A key stage in the preparatory process for the World Water Forum, the Mediterranean Water Forum is a genuine platform for exchanging and consolidating know-how and experience in the water sector in the Mediterranean, providing innovative solutions and responses to the drought situation that has plagued the Mediterranean region for several years. The goal is to bring together key players in the Mediterranean water community, providing innovative solutions to changing water needs, provide a showcase for the replication of solutions to emerging problems on a global scale, establish an environment of dialogue conducive to the development of an equitable strategy for the sustainable management of water resources in the Mediterranean and help make water a political priority at global, regional and national level. The available national water ressources currerntly stand at just 420 m3 per capita per year, making Tunisia one of the countries worldwide suffering from water stress, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries. The national water demand is expected to reach 38% in 2050, while water ressources are expected to continue to drop to a deficit of 28%, the ministry added. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse