VULNERABILITY OF WOMEN TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN SILIANA

So far, water mobilisation has failed to solve the complex equation of supply and demand, resulting in inequitable water distribution per habitant and region. Urban areas consistently receive the lion's share, with far greater access to drinking water than rural areas.

According to official figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INS, 2015), 51% of households in rural areas of Siliana do not have access to running water. A research team, through the Gender, Climate Change, and Community Adaptation (G3CA) project, identified several regions threatened by climate change, particularly the region of Ouled Omor, located in Beni Hazem, Makthar delegation, Siliana. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of this region, especially women in the rural areas studied, have never had access to running water despite numerous state promises. These women lack running water at home and access to the standpipes installed by the Ministry of Agriculture in rural areas. They are forced to manage on their own, either by collecting water from nearby sources or by harvesting rainwater.

Vitaleau Project: Nourishing Ouled Omor with every drop

To support this marginalised population, the Arab Institute for Human Rights and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have co-financed the “Vitaleau” project, which will be implemented by the APEDDUB association. This project aims to improve access to drinking water and sanitation in the Ouled Omor region, part of the Siliana governorate, by implementing a nature-based solution (NbS) to enhance local access to potable water. This involves setting up and maintaining hydraulic and sanitary facilities for the local community to alleviate the burden of water collection.

1st Phase: Launch of the Vitaleau Project: Meeting with regional and local decision-makers

During meetings with regional decision-makers in the Siliana region (the mayor, the commissioner, the governor, and the delegate), the research team confirmed the vulnerable and marginalised situation of the inhabitants identified in the Ouled Omor region. The mayor of Makthar region emphasised, “This area is well targeted by APEDDUB, and I would like to thank you for the excellent choice of the region.”

Moreover, the decision-makers also requested the support and collaboration of the association in future project activities aimed at enhancing the impact of the actions taken and improving the living conditions of the residents.

2nd Phase: Diagnosis: Field visit and discussion with the local community

According to the established vision, it was confirmed that women in Ouled Omor are the most vulnerable to climate change. Water scarcity is at the heart of the difficulties faced by rural women, as they are primarily responsible for water collection tasks. They encounter numerous obstacles: lack of transportation, insufficient infrastructure, and much of their day is spent travelling back and forth between their home and the water source to fill a small container that they carry on their back or donkey.

An elderly rural woman, depicted in the photos, testified: “The survival of my family depends on access to water because water is life. If I do not take responsibility for providing water to my family, I risk causing the death of my grandchildren, as well as my own.”

Decision-makers attempted to implement a temporary solution: providing a water tank every Tuesday for the residents of the Ouled Omor region. However, this solution remains inadequate and cannot meet the essential needs of the residents, thereby exacerbating the difficulties related to water access in this region.

Vitaleau Project Steering Committee: