Tunisia approves $21m loan to clean Bizerte lake area
TUNIS, January 21, 2016
Tunisia's Parliament has approved a draft law on a loan signed between Tunisia and the European BBank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for €20 million ($21.8 million), according to a report.
The loan, which was for the National Sanitation Utility, will contribute to the implementation of an integrated programme to clean up the Bizerte lake area for the 2015-2019 period, said the allAfrica report.
A variable interest rate will be applied to this loan with a guarantee from Tunisia, it said.
The loan will be reimbursed over a 18-year period with four years of grace.
The project whose global cost is estimated at 58 MTD aims to protect the natural sphere, fight against sources of pollution and improve living conditions of citizens in the Bizerte lake area, the report said.
It includes several components, most important being upgrade of three sanitation stations in Bizerte, Menzel Bourguiba and Mateur; upgrade of 17 pumping stations; and the extension of about 21 km of sanitation networks in Bizerte, Menzel Bourguiba, Mateur and Tinja, in addition to 10 rural regions, it added.
