TUNISIA is facing another spell of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 49.8 degrees Celsius (121.6 Fahrenheit) in the central city of Kairouan on August 27.
The heat has coincided with electricity cuts and water shortages in parts of the country, while doctors have warned of mounting pressure on emergency departments.
Kairouan reached 49.8°C on August 27, according to the Tunisian Observatory for Weather and Climate. The observatory said Kairouan was the second-hottest location among those monitored worldwide that day, behind Mehran in Iran, which reached 50°C. Six Tunisian cities were among the world’s 20 hottest monitoring stations.
The reading was also close to Tunisia’s national temperature record of 50.3°C, recorded on August 11, 2021.
The extreme temperatures have pushed up electricity demand as households and businesses use more air conditioning. Water demand also rises during periods of extreme heat, adding pressure to a system already facing longer-term shortages.
The Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) has introduced rotating power cuts in several regions.
The immediate pressure on the electricity system has come from exceptionally high demand during periods of extreme heat, particularly because of heavy use of air conditioning.
STEG officials said electricity demand may have reached a record 6,000 megawatts in July, after reaching 5,600MW only days earlier.
STEG has said the rotating cuts are intended to protect the safety and continuity of the electricity system.
The outages have affected areas across Tunisia rather than a single region.
STEG has introduced temporary cuts in several parts of the country as it manages pressure on the network. The timing and duration have varied, with some residents reporting interruptions lasting several hours.
Parts of Tunisia’s water-distribution system depend on electrically powered pumping stations. When electricity is interrupted, those stations can stop operating, disrupting the movement and distribution of water.
There is a clear recent example. On August 24, an electricity interruption stopped the main Kerker pumping station, disrupting drinking-water supplies in several areas of the Mahdia and Sfax governorates, according to Tunisia’s National Company for Water Exploitation and Distribution (SONEDE).
The incident shows how a disruption to electricity at a pumping station can quickly affect water supplies.
But that does not mean every water shortage is caused by a power cut.
Yes. Tunisia has been dealing with structural water scarcity and recurring drought for years. The World Bank describes the country as facing growing water scarcity and climate pressures and is supporting projects to improve the reliability and resilience of drinking-water services.
The current electricity cuts are therefore adding pressure to an existing water problem rather than creating Tunisia’s water crisis from scratch.
Water interruptions can have several causes, including shortages, infrastructure problems, maintenance and disruptions to pumping and distribution.
The heat and electricity disruptions have also affected bottled-water supplies.
The Associated Press reported that power rationing disrupted factory operations as demand for bottled water increased during the heatwave. Production was also affected by shortages of raw plastic materials.
The shortage therefore cannot be attributed to electricity cuts alone.
During a heatwave, losing electricity means more than losing lights.
Air conditioners and fans stop working. Refrigerators and freezers stop cooling. If an outage lasts for several hours, households may struggle to keep perishable food safely refrigerated.