Tunisia swelters in unprecedented heat wave

Fires in Tunisia due to heat wave Tunis - Nébil Zaghdoud Tunisia has been swept in an unprecedented heat wave, with shade temperatures exceeding 46 degrees Centigrade in the capital and southern governorates. The meteorology department put the soaring temperatures to the centering of a wind current from the south pushing hot dry desert air towards the country.
The institute of meteorology declared that temperatures would continue rising until the end of the week, saying they may reach 41 degrees in main Tunisian districts and 42 degrees in Bizerte (60 km north of the capital Tunis), Jendouba governorate (254km northwest of Tunis) and 44 degrees in Gafsa (343km southwest of Tunis).
The heat wave has led to a number of forest fires across the country, with the most dangerous one flaring Wednesday morning in Mount BoFernan at Bourguiba El Hamam, Jendouba governorate, where civil defence and army forces are battling to control the flames.
In a statement to Arabstoday, the General Secretary of the Basic Syndicate of Civil Defence in Jendouba governorate, Salah Aldbusa, said that the fire expanded due to the hot winds, in addition to the arsh topography which made fire-fighting difficult.
He added that civil defence forces had to use manual tools in the first stage before being supported with a fire extinguishing military plane.
Tunisian governorates are also facing frequent cuts in drinking water supplies and electricity, causing major problems in Gafsa, Sfax (in the south), Nabeul and Sousse (on the coast) and Jendouba (northwest of the country).
Authorities were forced to redirect water meant for irrigation to cities where drinking water supplies were at an all time low.
In a statement to Arabstoday,  Zaher Massadi, a political member in the opposition Republic party, said the government must provide basic facilities, especially drinking water and forest fires.
Massadi said: “The water cut in many districts caused diarrhea in children and the death of many animals especially in Menzel El Habib city, Gabes Governorate (400km southeast of Tunis)...this inhuman and tragic situation caused a wave of strong anger within the population.”
Tunisia's water supply company explained in a statement that the main reason for the cuts and distribution was the “electricity cuts in different water production plants, pumping and treatment sites in the northern districts".
The Tunisian electricity and gas company said: “The electricity cuts in different places is due to the increasing demand for energy after the increased use of air conditioners because of the extremely high temperatures,” adding that its technical offices had recorded, since the beginning of this week, an increasingly high demand of 3250 MW daily, about 7.5 percent more compared to peak consumption recorded in summer 2011 which was 3024 MW.
In order to avoid the negative effects of the unprecedented rise in temperatures, doctors have advised drinking sufficient amounts of liquids, about 1.5 litres minimum, sleeping well and staying in cold, airy places. They also suggested taking showers with lukewarm water and putting a wet tissue over heads or spraying the face, neck, hand and legs with water.
In a study with the cooperation of the Tunisian Ministry of Environment, of which the results were published last May, the World Bank said that the temperature in Tunisia will increase between 0.8% to 1.3% in 2020, and that it's expected for this rate to reach 2.7%, higher than expected world rates.