The Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh, on Tuesday called for accelerating the works on the Said(a) dam-reservoir, in the Oued Ellil district, whose progress stands at 92%.
The minister urged that the remaining works be completed quickly, so that the facility is ready and helps form a reserve of 45 million cubic meters. This reserve must cover the demand for drinking water and irrigation water for Greater Tunis and the coastal strip from Cap Bon to Sfax.
This call was made during a field visit conducted in the company of the governor of La Manouba, representatives of the General Directorate of Dams and Major Hydraulic Works, and the Regional Commission for Agricultural Development, as well as the delegate of Oued Ellil. The minister took note of the progress of several components of the project, launched in February 2019 within the framework of the system for transferring water surpluses from the North to Greater Tunis, Cap Bon, the Sahel and Sfax.
Two dam-reservoirs and five pumping stations
The minister stressed the need to advance the various components of the project. This includes the Said(a) dam-reservoir, whose completion is expected within six months, and the Kalaâ Kebira dam-reservoir, completed at 98% and which should be finished by the end of next November.
The project also includes five pumping stations, among the most important in the country, with capacities ranging from 4.6 to 9.2 cubic meters per second. Their works have been authorized for a period of three years and must be carried out in parallel and at the same pace, so that all are ready no later than early 2030, before their testing phase, followed by commissioning.
Financed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and by the state budget, the project also includes transfer conduits linking Said(a) to the Belli reservoir in the Nabeul governorate, and regulating reservoirs, including two in the La Manouba governorate and a third at Khanguet El Hajjaj (Nabeul), with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters, said Rafik Sbaa, director of the unit for the realization of the Said(a) and Kalaâ Kebira dam-reservoirs and related works.
A cost of around 214 million dinars
Budgeted to cost around 214 million dinars, the Said(a) dam-reservoir includes an earth dam, a flood discharge, a water intake tower and a diversion gallery, as well as a filling pipeline from the Douar El Bey pumping station and another from the El Habibia pumping station.
According to the director of the unit, the transfer system relies on storing raw water in the Said(a) dam-reservoir, with a capacity of 45 million cubic meters, before transferring to the Belli reservoir, then to the Kalaâ Kebira reservoir, with a capacity of 35 million cubic meters, and from there to the Sahel desalination plant.
The difficulties related to releasing the project’s footprint and the regularization of land situations have been resolved, thanks to compensation for the affected residents, for which 7 million dinars were allocated. The last obstacle, namely the difficulty in securing quarry materials needed to backfill certain components, was also overcome by resorting to quarries located in other areas, as nearby quantities were insufficient.
