It is 10 a.m. in the middle of the week, and the month of July is coming to an end. Just like the leave of Faïza, 42, secretary in a household appliances and mother of two college students aged 11 and 14. Resident of Radès, in the southern suburbs of Tunis, she came by car with her children, her sister Houda and two of her nephews to spend part of the day on La Goulette beach, east of the capital.
Because near her her house, water has been unfit for swimming for decades: industrial pollution and massive waste of wastewater have condemned this part of the coast. For years, the inhabitants of Grand Tunis have therefore been turning to the beaches located further north – notably that of La Goulette.
Sitting on plastic chairs under a parasol, Faïza and Houda watch their children, who play ball at the water’s edge. That day, the sea is calm, and a slight breeze refreshes the atmosphere. What the two women ignore is that the place where they settled appears on the list of 28 beaches now prohibited for swimming. Published at the end of June by the Ministry of Health, this list identifies improper beaches due to their contamination by wastewater and the presence of bacteria such as streptococci or salmonella likely to cause skin infections, respiratory diseases or gastrointestinal disorders.
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