Tunisian officials have begun turning off drinking water at night in portions of the capital and other towns, people reported, in what seems to be a move to curb use during a severe drought.
Cutting off water without previous notification, in districts of the capital Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse, Monastir and Sfax, threatens to create social conflict in a nation whose people suffer from bad public services, rising inflation and a weak economy.
Officials of the water distribution business contacted by reporters refused to comment.
Tunisia is facing a major drought, leading authorities to declare the ministry may begin to turn off water supplies at night throughout the summer to minimise usage owing to the paucity of reserves in the nation.
The ongoing lack of rain, though, seems to have forced officials to start doing so early in certain regions.
Yassin Mami, a politician in the new parliament, stated officials from the national water corporation told him that the reason for the frequent stoppage of water service in Hammamet city, was “because the country is threatened by water scarcity”.
Tunisian dams showed a decline in the capacity of roughly of 1 billion cubic metres owing to a shortage of rain from September 2022 to mid-March 2023, Hamadi Habib, a senior official in the agricultural ministry, stated.
The Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the nation, a significant supply of drinking water to various areas, has decreased to just 16% of its full capacity of 580 million cubic meters, official numbers indicated.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
