Flagship project
Restoring a Vital Ecosystem in Northern Tunisia
The Lake Bizerte programme brings pollution control, wastewater, sanitation, drinking water and sludge management into a single effort to restore a vital Tunisian ecosystem.
Cleaner water can improve public health, ecological conditions and the security of livelihoods that depend on the lake. Communities may benefit from better sanitation and drinking-water services, while businesses face clearer expectations for pollution control. Biodiversity and the wider ecosystem stand to gain as contaminant loads decline. A cleaner lake supports healthier ecosystems, safer communities and more secure economic activity around Bizerte’s shoreline.
The challenge
Industrial pollution, inadequate wastewater systems and unmanaged waste threaten Lake Bizerte's water quality, biodiversity and the livelihoods that depend on a healthy ecosystem. Restoration requires coordinated action across industrial discharges, wastewater, solid waste and shoreline conditions rather than isolated measures that leave major pollution sources untouched.
Our goal
Lake Bizerte's integrated protection programme restores environmental quality and safeguards the communities and livelihoods connected to the lake. Its ambition is to improve water quality by tackling several pollution sources together, rather than relying on an isolated intervention that leaves other pressures on the lake unresolved.
Our approach
Preparatory studies establish priorities and provide the technical basis for investment. Tender documentation enables works and services to be procured across industrial-pollution reduction, wastewater and sanitation, drinking-water rehabilitation and sludge management. The components are coordinated around their shared effect on the lake, allowing infrastructure decisions to support an ecosystem-level objective.
Key highlights
- The project addresses pollution at source as well as weaknesses in municipal services.
- Planned outputs include industrial-control measures, improved wastewater and sanitation assets, rehabilitated drinking-water infrastructure and better sludge solutions.
- Their combined design is important because the lake's condition reflects multiple interacting pressures across its catchment.
Success story
Lake Bizerte's decline cannot be traced to one pipe, one factory or one service gap. Industrial discharges, inadequate wastewater systems, sanitation problems and unmanaged sludge all contribute to the pressure. The programme responds with a portfolio of connected investments rather than a single visible fix. Cleaner production and industrial controls reduce pollution before it reaches the lake; wastewater and sanitation measures improve municipal management; drinking-water rehabilitation supports communities; and sludge solutions address a persistent residual problem. If these components work together, residents can experience healthier surroundings and more dependable services while the lake begins to recover. The human story is inseparable from the ecological one: restoring water quality also protects livelihoods, community wellbeing and the future of the catchment.