Violent riots broke out in the Algerian desert city of Tiaret last weekend due to ongoing water shortages. The city has been facing drought conditions for months, leaving residents without access to drinking water. Protestors barricaded roads and set tires on fire to demonstrate their frustration with the rationing of water.
President Abdelmajid Tebboune called for emergency measures to address the water crisis in Tiaret, sending government ministers to apologize to the population and promise to restore access to drinking water. The region has been severely impacted by climate change, with a multi-year drought causing critical reservoirs to shrink and receive less rainfall.
Solutions to the water shortage include piping water from larger dams to Tiaret and investing in desalination plants. In the meantime, officials are working to import water from nearby sources and are constructing new pipelines to bring groundwater to the city. The situation remains tense, with residents enduring months of water scarcity.
Despite the unrest, the situation in Tiaret has received little news coverage in Algeria due to restrictions on press freedom and reliance on state advertising revenue. The tensions have spread on social media, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable solutions to address the water crisis in the region.
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