TUNIS, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi Wednesday visited a new wastewater treatment plant project which has been entrusted to a Chinese hydroelectric engineering and construction company.
With a total cost of 61 million dinars (25 million U.S. dollars), the Sousse wastewater treatment project, which is three quarters completed and located on the east coast of Tunisia, will particularly benefit the agricultural sector since the treated water will be used to irrigate groundwater.
"It calls for an average of 250 workers per month with a Tunisian majority, and it covers an overall area of 13 hectares. For the financing of this project, Tunisia holds 60 percent, while the remaining 40 percent come from a German financial institution," said Zaher Guigua, head of the Tunisian construction project.
The effective operation of this wastewater treatment plant is divided into two phases, respectively scheduled for May 2018 and December 2018.
"The Tunisian Sousse wastewater treatment project is currently the largest project under construction in Tunisia. After the completion, this purification factory will treat 60 percent of the life and industrial water in Sousse," said Hu Pingjun, manager of the Sousse wastewater treatment project.
"With its global investment potential, China will be able to play a great role in the recovery of the Tunisian economy, particularly in certain sectors including major infrastructure projects, urban sanitation and waste water," said Riadh Mouakhar, Tunisian minister of local affairs and the environment.
According to the minister, Essebsi's visit to this project is part of a tour scheduled in the province of Sousse, and "the importance of this project in the process of global development has aroused the interest of the Tunisian president."
"This new wastewater treatment plant," he said, "will have, once completed, a grand impact on the beautification and the improvement of the entire province of Sousse in light of many assets, including water recycled for the agriculture sector."
In addition, the Tunisian minister added, "this project is distinguished by the fact that it will also favor the production of electricity by cogeneration, which will reduce the operating cost, essentially based on energy."
