The Tunisian Federation of Insurance Companies (FTUSA) has prepared a Bill whose purpose is to make insurance mandatory against all kinds of natural disasters.
Mr Kamel Chibani, FTUSA executive director, said this initiative dates from 2017, according to a report by Maghrebin Economist. He pointed out that in Algeria and Morocco, insurance against natural disasters is mandatory, while Nat CAT insurance is still optional in Tunisia.
In 2017, a study on a legal framework for compulsory insurance against natural disaster risks was started. The proposed framework provided for risk sharing between the state and the insured.
Floods are becoming increasingly frequent in Tunisia. In September, floods hit the region of Cape Bon in the north-east of the country, causing significant property damage and killing at least six people. The consequences included floods in areas that are rarely flooded, especially around water courses, creeks, streams and ditches that are normally dry, even in normally low-risk areas; overflows of sewerage systems, pipelines and flood protection works; flooding of underground passages and car parks as well as cellars; severe disruption of road and rail traffic; and high risks of landslides and debris flows.
One of the causes of these floods is that people build where they should not: on farmland, near the bed of a wadi, or on land which may obstruct the natural flow of water. From an urbanist point of view, these constructions are anarchic, Mr Marouen Chabbouh, a Tunisian civil engineer told France24.
Yet, the property owners have a building permit, which was obtained either through a bribe or simply out of ignorance as municipalities usually do not have a real technical service, nor the necessary means (engineers, plans, etc) to make a study and know whether the area in question is vulnerable to floods. Others build without asking permission, and the authorities do not realise it until about years later, and it is then difficult to dislodge people and demolish the building in question.
Mr Chabbouh said, “Normally, before building housing, the ministry must proceed with the development plan of an entire area over several years, even if the construction sites will start in a few years. However, what often happens in Tunisia is that the pattern is reversed: people first build their homes, then the state arrives later to make connections in water, electricity and roads which reduces soil permeability.”
Apart from floods, Nat CATs that occur in Tunisia include earthquakes, desertification, landslides, hailstorms, drought and forest fires. M