Health
The health of the soussian population in the face of the climate crisis
After several months of study, here is what we can deduce from the effects of climate change on soussien health :
Map of distribution of rainfall in Tunisia
(from the most to the least important)
Nowadays, Tunisia faces many climatic problems which have a considerable impact on the health of the population. Indeed, malnutrition (due to unproductive agriculture caused in particular by water stress but also by the poverty of farmers who do not have enough means to cultivate their land); dehydration; cancers (caused by toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide); enteric infections or vector-borne diseases like dengue affect our country and therefore big cities like Sousse. This was confirmed by the epidemiologist Dr. Amani Maatouk at the hospital Farhat Hached.
On this map we see that water stress is strongly present in the South where the inhabitants of cities like Tataouine or MĂ©denine have difficulty in accessing water...
The concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air, in Tunisia in 2016
The concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air, in Tunisia in 2022
Analysis:
On these two satellite images representing in purple the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air, we can notice an increase in the rate of this chemical substance in Tunisia BETWEEN 2016 and 2022. The consequences of this chemical substance are dramatic on health! This subtance is one of the most polluting gas in the atmosphere and comes from the industries around the world.
Sulfur dioxide produces severe irritation of the mucosa of the respiratory tract with cell damage and laryngotracheal and pulmonary edema. It causes serious irreversible damage to the skin and eyes. Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas by inhalation. This could also worsen in the years to come in Tunisia if the SO2 content in the air continues to increase!
We were able to make his images thanks to the browser: https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/eo-browser/
This weakens the major Tunisian economic sectors, namely: agriculture, tourism and phosphate mining, and amplifies the rural exodus. These phenomena increase precariousness and thus prevent a large part of the Tunisian population from meeting their needs (food, care, etc.)!
It is of paramount importance to act without wasting time and thus to set up: other treatment plants; more sustainable tourism (to fight against water stress and the waste of energy and other resources) as well as public awareness campaigns to deal with future infections, viruses and bacteria that will soon reach the territory. Otherwise, the consequences will be dramatic and the medical system already weakened by the health crisis will quickly be overwhelmed!
Rural exodus : Migration of people from rural areas, and mainly the agricultural population, to urban areas.
(Larousse dictionary)
Click on the link to see the interview with epidemiologist Dr. Maatouk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1erSiwqMt1s&t=47s
