Frequent water and power cuts, long queues for bottled water, poultry farms destroyed by the heat: these have been the scenes across Tunisia this summer as millions of people were affected by shortages in electricity and water. Our Observers say this is the result of years of underinvestment in infrastructure while the Tunisian president, for his part, blames "deliberate and planned acts of sabotage”.
On Wednesday, September 2, Hedi Baccour, the president of the Trade Association of Supermarket Chains, told Tunisian media outlet Mosaïque FM that 2.3 million bottles of mineral water were now being “distributed daily in the big supermarkets in Tunis and its suburbs”. This was a relief for residents of the capital, after a summer when showering, drinking or even turning on the light became a daily challenge for millions of Tunisians across the country. With temperatures soaring to near 50°C, the country experienced frequent water and power cuts, some lasting more than ten hours.
