The Tunisian government has initiated survey work to clean up 9 thousand hectares of the seabed in the Gulf of Gabes in the south-east of the country.
This was announced by Environment Minister Habib Abid during a meeting of the Commission for Industry, Trade, Natural Resources, Energy and Environment of the lower house of parliament – the Council of People’s Representatives.
The head of the department stressed that the Gulf of Gabes is seriously polluted with phosphogypsum, which has a destructive effect impact on the marine ecosystem. He emphasized the need to completely stop the discharge of phosphogypsum into the bay and apply the successful experience of the Taparura project, an urban development program for the coastal zone in the city of Sfax.
“Preparations for survey work to clean up 9 thousand hectares of the seabed continue,” Abid added.
Mass protests against chemical pollution in Tunisia
In the Shati es-Salam area of Gabes, where Home to about 18 thousand people and located just 4 km from the city center, there is a chemical complex with phosphate processing plants. It is this enterprise that is the main source of chemical pollution in the region.
In September, a group of high school students experienced difficulty breathing due to toxic gases released from the complex’s production units. Against this backdrop, thousands of people protested against chemical pollution in Gabes.
In response to public discontent, the Minister of Supply and Housing, Salah Zuwari, said in parliament on October 20 that the government would take “urgent and exceptional” measures to solve the problem. Tunisian President Kais Said also called for an immediate end to chemical pollution.