This is it. The rehabilitation and extension work on the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant has begun. The project was recently launched during a tour of Kamel Doukh, the Tunisian Minister of Equipment, Housing and Infrastructure in the Greater Tunis area. It was in the presence of the French Ambassador to Tunisia André Parant and the European Union Ambassador Marcus Cornaro.
The rehabilitation and extension work in progress should increase the capacity of the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant to 90,000 m3 per day. The plant currently has a capacity of 37,500 m3 per day. These effluents come from the southern suburbs of the capital Tunis. The works also include the construction of an anaerobic digestion system for the settling sludge, as well as the valorisation into biogas.
A project of the Depolmed programme
The National Sanitation Office (ONAS) of Tunisia is also planning to reinforce the deodorization system of the plant, as well as the construction of a sea outfall for the discharge of treated wastewater. The rehabilitation and extension of the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant is part of the Mediterranean depollution programme (Depolmed).
In Tunisia, the programme will enable the rehabilitation and extension of four coastal wastewater treatment plants, notably that of Sud Méliane, Sousse Nord, Jedaida and Kelibia. ONAS will also build 53 pumping stations and 29 000 connection boxes. The public body will also ensure the construction of 540 km of wastewater collection networks.
Support from the European Union and France
According to the French Development Agency (AFD), the Depolmed program will also strengthen ONAS’ capacities in key areas of its mission, i.e. investment project management, operation and maintenance of infrastructure, combined with self-monitoring of wastewater treatment plant discharges, control of industrial sanitation, communication and public consultation.
“The Depolmed programme will benefit 324,000 households, through the rehabilitation of wastewater treatment plants, the extension of wastewater collection networks, as well as thanks to the increased capacity of ONAS and CITET (Tunis International Centre for Environmental Technologies) in key areas of their missions,” says Marcus Cornaro, the European Union’s ambassador to Tunisia.
The de-pollution programme is being financed to the tune of 140 million euros by the European Union, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and AFD.
Jean Marie Takouleu