Tunisia has officially ratified a crucial agreement for the management of shared groundwater in Northern Sahara with Algeria and Libya, as per Decree No. 23 of 2025, published on Friday in the Official Journal of the Tunisian Republic (JORT) issue No. 4.
This ratification aims to establish a consultation mechanism among the three countries for the exploitation of groundwater resources. The decree includes two main articles: the first article ratifies the agreement for this mechanism, signed in Algeria on April 24, 2024, while the second article pertains to the publication of the decree in the JORT.
According to experts, these aquifers, which have been in use for centuries, supply vital water resources through wells that can reach depths of over 1,000 meters. However, their replenishment is extremely limited, necessitating stringent management to prevent depletion.
To recall, the issue of underground water in the North Saharan desert was at the heart of tripartite meetings between the Agriculture Ministers of Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria on April 24, 2024, at the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture’s headquarters.
