@article{fdi:010088239,
  title = {{I}mpact of the unpredictable changes in agricultural groundwater use on long-term sustainable exploitation : the case study of {B}ouhefna-{H}affouz aquifer system, central {T}unisia},
  author = {{J}erbi, {H}. and {S}ebai, {A}. and {M}assuel, {S}ylvain and {R}iaux, {J}eanne and {L}educ, {C}hristian and {T}arhouni, {J}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{L}ong-term exploitation schemes in many regions are often based solely on hydrodynamic factors, while the agricultural use of groundwater undergoes significant changes over time. {T}he {B}ouhefna-{H}affouz aquifer system in central {T}unisia is one of those cases where an aquifer exploitation scheme was well designed hydrodynamically to address the political needs at the time. {F}ifty years later, a numerical groundwater model has been conducted to assess the sustainability of the scheme. {R}esults show that the scheme aimed to lower the groundwater level to reduce overflow to {M}erguellil {W}adi and maintain it at a level that benefits agricultural profitability. {T}his caused loss of the {M}erguellil baseflow, forcing farmers to switch from traditional irrigation canals to deep wells and motor pumps, thereby disrupting the hydrological budget even further. {T}he numerical model indicates that the flow to the wadi reached zero in 1978, the average flow by vertical leakage decreased from 8 hm(3) in 1970 to 2 hm(3) in 2020, and the horizontal percolation between the regional aquifer units increased from 1 hm(3) in 1970 to 6 hm(3) in 2020. {A}lthough the groundwater exploitation scheme was not previously considered a factor in local hydrological changes, the results of this study demonstrate the significant impact of societal behavior following the scheme's implementation on the hydrological budget of {M}erguellil {W}adi.},
  keywords = {{A}griculture ; {S}ocio-economic aspects ; {T}unisia ; {S}ilent revolution ; {N}umerical modeling ; {TUNISIE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{H}ydrogeology {J}ournal},
  volume = {31},
  numero = {},
  pages = {1181--1196},
  ISSN = {1431-2174},
  year = {2023},
  DOI = {10.1007/s10040-023-02661-2},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010088239},
}