The work imposed by the APAL at the Corniche and now at the beach of Sidi Salem arouses anger and misunderstanding. Between rigid works, unilateral decisions and lack of consultation, it is all the natural and social heritage of Bizerte that is threatened.
For months, the work undertaken by APAL at the Corniche de Bizerte has aroused unanimous indignation. Rigid structures and massive rockworks disrupt the natural balance: change in currents, worsening erosion, landscape degradation and loss of tourist attraction. A colossal budget is swallowed up in methods deemed unsuitate, without consultation with civil society or experts.
Sidi Salem, a now threatened beach?
As if that were not enough, the APAL decided to move an epi planned to the Corniche to Sidi Salem beach. However, this beach is one of the last preserved seaside areas, vital for the inhabitants of Bizerte. One kilometer long and more than a hundred meters wide, it has no need for artificial works. The Bizertins, landed, denounce a unilateral decision that threatens to disfigure a site that is still intact.
Why intervene on Sidi Salem? What technical or strategic reasons can justify transforming a natural beach into a construction site? Residents have the right to understand, and especially to be associated with decisions that concern their heritage.
A pressing appeal to the deputies of Bizerte
It is time for the city’s representatives to fully assume their responsibilities and take a stand on decisions that compromise the future of the coast. The deputies of Bizerte are directly challenged: their silence in the face of these imposed projects is incomprehensible and cannot last.
They must defend the interests of their fellow citizens by demanding the immediate suspension of work in Sidi Salem, the opening of a transparent dialogue with civil society and experts, as well as a revision of coastal protection methods in order to favor flexible and environmentally friendly solutions.
Because, and unquestionably, Corniche and Sidi Salem are not fields of experimentation, but spaces of life and memory. Elected officials must act to prevent APAL from turning the Bizertine coast into a field of ruins.
