Violent riots broke out in Tiaret, Algeria, last weekend due to months of water shortages in the drought-stricken city. Residents were forced to queue for access to water as taps ran dry, leading to protests with protestors setting tires on fire and blocking roads. President Abdelmajid Tebboune called for emergency measures to address the situation, sending government ministers to apologize to the population and promise the restoration of drinking water.
The unrest in Tiaret comes as Tebboune is expected to seek re-election as president of Algeria, a country heavily impacted by climate change. The region relies on three dwindling reservoirs for water, which have been significantly reduced due to a multi-year drought. Local groundwater aquifers have also suffered from a lack of replenishment due to a lack of rain.
In the long term, Algeria plans to pipe water from larger dams and invest in desalination plants. In the meantime, efforts are being made to import water from nearby sources and new pipelines are being constructed to bring groundwater to Tiaret. Despite tensions easing, the situation remains tense in the city, which has suffered from water shortages for months.
While news of the riots has spread on social media, it has received limited coverage in the Algerian media, where press freedom has been increasingly restricted. Journalists in the country have faced imprisonment in recent years, leading to a lack of coverage of important issues like the water crisis in Tiaret.
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