For those living close to the dump site, the putrid smell of rubbish, including hazardous industrial waste, can be overpowering, a constant reminder of the growing rot in their backyard. Now, authorities say they are looking for alternatives to the landfill in Aguereb, but there is still no road map. “We are unseen.”The crisis in Aguereb betrays a deeper problem in Tunisia’s waste management sector, exacerbated by endemic corruption and a lack of investment in sustainable solutions. While there are strict regulations on toxic waste management in Tunisia, poor regulatory mechanisms and entrenched networks of corruption make them easier to bypass. “Dirty scandals haunt Tunisia’s solid waste management sector,” Lana Salman, researcher in urban governance and international development, wrote in a research paper published in April.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 20, 2021 03:11 UTC