Tunisia has raised drinking water tariffs by up to 16% in reaction to a five-year drought, according to the official gazette on Friday.
After years of drought, average rainfall has increased in recent months, but government authorities announced this week that Tunisian dams are only at 35% capacity.
Last year, the North African country implemented a quota system for drinking water and prohibited its use in agricultural. Since last summer, it has been turning off water supplies at night.
Small consumers will continue to pay the same price for water.
Those whose consumption exceeds 40 cubic metres face about 12% increase to 1.040 Tunisian dinars ($0.33) per cubic metre and consumers of between 70 and 100 cubic metres per quarter will pay 13.7% more at 1.490 dinars per cubic metre with immediate effect.
The highest increase is for those whose consumption exceeds 150 cubic metres and for tourist facilities, for which the price per cubic metre has increased by 16% to 2.310 dinars.
Tunisia has launched water desalination plants to try to make up for the country’s lack of dams and the impact of climate change.
