Revolution Impact on Drinking Water Consumption: Real Case of Tunisia

Water is considered a major social and political issue. This article stands out by its quantification of the impact of socio-political disturbances on social behavior regarding the consumption of drinking water. It also allows the monitoring of fluctuation of the economic pattern through the main economic sectors during these disturbances by the study of a revolution impact—case of the revolution in Tunisia in January 2011, on the spatial, temporal and sectorial variation of the drinking water consumption. Six water users covering the whole consumption are considered in this study: connected and non connected household users, tourism, industries, collective and various other users. Among the results, in this coastal country, the relation between drinking water consumption by tourism, the touristic activities and the national economy are clearly established. All these components are similarly affected by the socio political disturbances but longer lasting fallouts hit only the most vulnerable regions of the country. Industrial activities that used drinking water seemed to be affected only when the socio political disturbance is at its paroxysm due to strikes, sit-ins of unemployed people, job seekers protests and companies closure. The revolution impacts such as weakening of the State’s authority when facing inappropriate and illegitimate social desires, anarchy, people displacement and refugees are the major causes of non-connected household drinking water waste or over-consumption (up to 89 %) and an alarming increase of the induced breakages (+445 % in 2012 compared to 2010).