Each summer, as the seaside season approaches, the Tunisian authorities publish a list of prohibited swimming beaches. If the term can worry holidaymakers, it above all raises a legitimate question: why do some beaches become non-compliance with swimming? And what does this prohibition concretely mean?
In Tunisia, it is the Ministry of Health, through the National Observatory for Public Health and its regional laboratories, which is responsible for assessing the quality of sea water intended for swimming. Each year, between May and September, withdrawals are taken regularly on more than 500 surveillance points spread across the Tunisian coast.
These samples make it possible to measure the level of microbiological pollution, in particular the concentration of fecal colibacilli and intestinal enterococci, two indicators of the presence of feces in water. When the results exceed the tolerated thresholds defined by international WHO standards, The beach concerned is classified as non -compliant.
Why do some beaches become prohibited?
Baignade prohibited beaches are not by chance. In general, several factors explain this ranking:
- Rejections of untreated or partially treated wastewater, often due to defective or overloaded purification stations;
- Urban pollution due to household, plastic or industrial residue waste that spills into the sea via wadis or evacuation channels;
- Lack of surveillance or corrective measures in sensitive areas close to densely populated neighborhoods.
- Some beaches are also in the immediate vicinity of ports, industrial zones or dumping grounds, which increases the risk of contamination.
A preventive classification to protect public health
The ban on swimming is not intended to penalize bathers, but to protect them from health risks. Swim in polluted water can cause skin, gastrointestinal, even more serious pathologies, especially for children, the elderly or immunocompromised individuals.
Thus, the classification of prohibited beaches is a prevention tool, and not a simple administrative measure. It is updated each year after the surveillance campaigns carried out in the spring and early summer.
