Issues SASS

SASS groundwater resource is sufficient for many centuries to come (500-600 years at projected consumption rates), but:

global water abstraction is 3x larger as natural recharge
projections for 2050 indicate a ratio of abstraction vs. recharge and imbalance surpasses factor of 15

water level decline increased cost for lifting and distributing water, necessity for relocation of pumping sites
end of artesian conditions over parts of the basin
reduced natural outflow an the Tunisian Outlet: risk of salt water intrusions along the coast
deterioration of water quality, salinity in areas with important water extraction
areas sensitive to backflow of brines from Chotts and Sebkhas increasingly affected by degradation of the water quality
soil salination – e.g. soils cultivated in traditional oases are increasingly affected
Aggravated by growing population pressure and development of irrigation schemes