A pair of flamingos flies over the Sijoumi mudflat on the southern outskirts of Tunisia's capital TunisAdvertising Read moreSijoumi (Tunisie) (AFP)Hundreds of flamingos wade past waste in the murky waters of the vast Sijoumi lagoon, a critical wetland in the heart of Tunisia's capital threatened by overexpansion. Hamdi, a 31-year-old shopkeeper in the working-class district of Sidi Hassine, hopes the project will beautify the area and solve the "problem of plastic waste and flooding from rainwater". But as rural populations flocked to Tunis, unauthorised building flourished in the former agricultural suburbs of the city and the lagoon became a dump for waste, mainly from construction. A part of the southern banks has remained untouched and serves as a refuge for ducks, flamingos and gulls. In any case, she added, between backfilling, illegal dumping and unregulated building, "if we do nothing, the lagoon will disappear".

Source: The North Africa Journal March 30, 2021 02:37 UTC