The Tunisian Water Observatory has called for a state of emergency to be declared, as the country’s dam reserves have dropped by 23.2% in the last week of August 2024.

In a statement, the observatory reported that water reserves in the dams have decreased to 545.683 million cubic meters compared to 686.328 million cubic meters during the same period in 2023.

This revelation of the country’s water needs comes after the National Institute of Statistics in Tunisia announced last May that the country’s economic growth slowed to 0.2% in the first quarter of the year compared to 1.1% in the same period last year.

The institute also noted that the unemployment rate reached 16.2% in the first quarter, compared to 16.1% in the same period last year.