A Siege of Salt and Sand: Tunisia's Environmental Problems

The documentary about environmental and governance issues in Tunisia, A Siege of Salt and Sand, details the everyday struggles faced by Tunisians caused by two seemingly opposite factors: the sea and the desert. Climate change and rising sea levels have contributed to economic distress in the country, and the unsustainable projects undertaken by Ben Ali have not helped matters. The ousted president undertook many large construction projects, claiming that they were sustainable and good for the country when it was quite obvious to the population that this was not the case. He even created a bizarre mascot for these projects, Labib, which was meant to resemble a desert fox.

64% of Tunisia’s territory is threatened by desertification, and rising sea levels have led to the formation of salt flats where agricultural production is no long possible. One third of Kerkennah is now salt flats.

Climate change has also led to the intrusion of dangerous species that have brought disease and parasites such as Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, which is caused by the parasitic protozoa leishmania transmitted by sandfly bites. This parasitic infection causes painful lesions on the skin which inevitably lead to unsightly, permanent scars.

Sand encroachment is another major problem, and once land falls victim to desertification, the damage is irreversible. Sand drifts bury whole houses and swallow villages. The people of Tunisia have attempted to resist sand drifts and desertification by building sand walls consisting of one meter high walls topped with palm leaves, however this only delays the inevitable.

Water scarcity is also very prevalent in Tunisia, and some areas go years without any rainfall. When it does rain it is often in negligible amounts–5-10 millimeters at a time. Climate change has been such an important issue in the country that when the new constitution was drafted after the ousting of Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia became one of three countries in the world to include climate change in its constitution.