Nightly drinking-water cuts began across the governorates of Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia on Sunday, 5 July, under a new distribution programme announced by the national water utility.

The National Water Distribution Utility, known as SONEDE, said supplies would be interrupted every night between midnight and 5am.

The measure will remain in place while technical tests required to bring the Sousse seawater desalination plant into operation are completed. SONEDE did not provide an expected end date.

The utility said rising temperatures and increased summer consumption had created an imbalance between available resources and demand across the three governorates.

Some areas, particularly neighbourhoods at higher elevations, have already experienced reduced pressure and irregular supplies.

SONEDE said the overnight programme was intended to distribute the remaining water more evenly between localities and allow reservoirs to recover before daytime demand rises.

The announcement covers the governorates as a whole, although the severity and duration of disruption may differ according to reservoir levels, local demand and the elevation of individual neighbourhoods.

The Sousse desalination plant is intended to strengthen supplies across the central coastal region, which experiences a sharp increase in demand during the tourist season.

Residents have been advised to manage household reserves carefully and avoid unnecessary consumption. SONEDE has yet to publish a detailed timetable for the completion of the plant’s tests.