The Tunisian shoreline is underneath siege from human exercise and world warming. In Hammamet, one among Tunisia’s high vacationer locations, coastal erosion has been accelerating because of uncontrolled urbanization and local weather change, inflicting the seashore to fade.
The Coastal Safety and Improvement Company (APAL), a public physique, undertook an enormous operation to replenish town middle’s seashore earlier than the summer season. 15,000 m3 of sand, transported by 750 vehicles from quarries within the semi-desert area of Kairouan, greater than 100 km away, had been dumped on the seashore to revive it.
Tourism is significant to Tunisia’s financial system, offering many roles, particularly for younger folks, in a rustic with excessive unemployment charges. The authorities intention to draw 10 million guests by 2024. Chiheb Ben Fredj, secretary basic of the Affiliation for Environmental Training (AERE), pressured the importance of the seashore to Hammamet.
Sand Might Vanish in a Few Days
Prior to now decade, the relentless power of coastal erosion has devoured 24,000 sq. meters of seashore in Hammamet, Tunisia. Between 2006 and 2019, 3 to eight meters of seashore vanished annually. A 2020 World Financial institution report sounded the alarm, describing the erosion price as ‘spectacular’ and reaching a brand new degree of ‘destruction’ within the final two years. All the Tunisian shoreline is in peril, with a median annual lack of 1.5 meters, ensuing within the disappearance of 90 kilometers of seashore and placing a further 190 kilometers at risk out of the full 570 kilometers of sandy shoreline.
Whereas re-sanding seashores could supply a brief respite, it’s not a sustainable answer in the long run. Options like establishing dikes or different constructions to retain sand are being explored. In line with the AERE, putting in palisades over a number of kilometers has confirmed efficient in rebuilding and stabilizing dunes on many seashores in Tunisia. With out such measures, the sand may be shortly eroded by the ocean or throughout storms, as was demonstrated throughout a sand replenishment operation in Hammamet in the summertime of 2023. Pursuing these sustainable options provides hope within the battle towards coastal erosion.
Nevertheless, these interventions include a major value. It has been reported that the re-sanding of three seashores in Hammamet, Monastir, and Sfax this 12 months amounted to three.9 million dinars, roughly a million euros, in keeping with APAL.
Provisional Answer
The central seashore in Hammamet is taken into account town’s pleasure. Narjess Bouasker, from the Regional Lodge Federation, emphasizes preserving the seashore’s magnificence. Nevertheless, she acknowledges that the present efforts to replenish the sand are solely a brief answer. She believes that balancing preserving the panorama with successfully combating coastal erosion is essential in the long run.
Each AERE and APAL level to human exercise, notably uncontrolled urbanization, because the main trigger of abrasion. World warming exacerbates the state of affairs, resulting in extra frequent and extreme storms and a speedy rise in sea ranges, notably within the Mediterranean. The development actions on the seashore in Hammamet have contributed to the disappearance of protecting dunes, which beforehand helped naturally replenish the sand.
APAL additionally criticizes coastal improvement for disrespecting ecosystems. This contains overlaying the beds of rivers that carry 85% of the sediments to the coast, which is significant in lowering erosion. An nameless APAL official highlights that building initiatives want to contemplate coastal dynamics. AERE notes that city seashores, like these in Hammamet, Monastir, and Sousse, are essentially the most affected by erosion.
