On December 1, 2025, the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP) approved the 2026 finance bill by an article-by-article vote, during a joint session with the National Council of Regions and Districts.
Among the measures adopted is a new system called the âwater fundâ, from additional chapter no. 30. Your initial article mentioned that the vote was 64 votes in favor, 20 abstentions and 26 against â a detail not confirmed by the sources consulted, which do not give these exact figures.
What is this water fund for?
The fund has several essential objectives:
- finance the interventions of âwater metropolisesâ or hydraulic operators in areas not covered by SONEDE â that is to say, localities poorly connected or lacking a drinking water network.
- help clear the debt of local hydraulic companies â a critical issue in a context where, last year, unpaid debts from SONEDE customers had exceeded 1 billion dinars.
- contribute to financing the extension of water supply networks to rural or marginalized areas where access remains difficult.
In a country facing increasing water stress, regular cuts and geographic inequalities in access to water, this fund appears to be a potentially decisive instrument for advancing the right to water.
The proposal also plans to increase the water tariff applied to bottling companies, which would go from 50 millimes/mÂł to 100 millimes/mÂł, with an amount set by a joint decree of the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture.
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