The Minister of the Environment, Leila Chikhaoui, said today, Wednesday June 12, 2024, that the ban on swimming for vacationers on certain beaches is the concern of the Ministry of Health, which supervises the necessary analyses, for the health of citizens. She specified that Tunisian beaches are in “good health” and that the presence of algae on our beaches is a good indicator of the quality of our waters, which are very healthy for humans and animals. She also said that Tunisian waters are among the richest in algae in the Mediterranean.
The minister spoke of her supervision of the release of the turtle “Ahmed” (named after the fisherman who found it, a tradition of the Ministry of Environment) in the sea of Zouara in Nefza, in the governorate of Beja . She explained that the increase in sea turtles is also an indicator of the improvement of the environmental situation, given the ecological requirements of these turtles.
She stressed the importance of raising awareness of the need to protect this animal by reducing the deposit of plastic waste on beaches, as they represent a major danger for turtles. Indeed, plastic waste is a main cause of sea turtle mortality, representing 45% of cases.
