SONEDE warns of water cuts lasting up to 48 hours across parts of Tunis and Ben Arous from Tuesday 16 June

The Société nationale d'exploitation et de distribution des eaux (SONEDE) announced on Thursday evening, 11 June, that dozens of neighbourhoods across the governorates of Tunis and Ben Arous will lose running water from 5 a.m. on Tuesday 16 June, with some areas facing interruptions of up to 48 hours.

The cuts are linked to the ongoing extension works at the southern entrance of the capital, supervised by the Ministry of Equipment and Housing, which involve laying new water mains and distribution pipes of 600 mm and 800 mm in diameter to replace ageing infrastructure in the construction zone.

SONEDE said the connections required to integrate the new pipes into the existing network make it necessary to take the old installations out of service, causing the temporary interruptions.

Which areas are affected

Areas facing cuts of around 24 hours include the Ibn Sina 2 neighbourhood and the lower part of El Mourouj 2 in the Tunis governorate, and, in Ben Arous, El Mourouj 3, 4, 5 and 6, Les Jasmins, Nouvelle Médina 1, 2 and 3, Ben Arous Centre, Chbedda, Naassen and Douar El Houch.

Interruptions of up to 48 hours will affect a wider set of zones, including El Kabaria, the El Ghanabib neighbourhood and most of the Jebel Jelloud delegation in Tunis.

In Ben Arous, the longer cuts will also hit Mourouj 1, Bir El Kassaa, the Bir El Kassaa 2 and 3 industrial zones, the Borj Cédria industrial zone, the wholesale market, the burns hospital, and the Cités Bank, du dispensaire and Ettaamir.

Restoration and advice

A progressive restoration of supply is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m. on Thursday 18 June.

SONEDE said its technical teams will be deployed around the clock throughout the intervention period in order to complete the works as quickly as possible.

The utility called on residents and institutions in the affected areas to take the necessary precautions and to store water in advance. SONEDE apologised for the inconvenience, describing the disruptions as temporary and tied to essential infrastructure works.

Broader context

The announcement comes days after Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri chaired a small cabinet meeting on 9 June dedicated to Tunisia's water system, attended by Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh and Secretary of State for Water Hamadi Habaieb.

That meeting approved a summer programme of 81 projects worth 58 million dinars, including the drilling and connection of 38 deep wells, maintenance of 26 pumping stations and work on 22 water network projects.

Tunisia's water observatory recorded 302 citizen alerts in May 2026 alone, of which 266 were interruptions not reported by SONEDE, with Ben Arous topping the regional count at 26 alerts, ahead of Gafsa, Kasserine and Tunis.

SONEDE supplies 3.3 million subscribers across 59,000 km of network, around 20 percent of which is considered ageing.

Residents in the affected zones are advised to fill containers and storage tanks before 5 a.m. on Tuesday.