Heavy rain brought parts of Tunisia’s capital to a standstill on Thursday, flooding roads and homes, trapping people in cars and disrupting electricity and internet services.
asserted
rain → bring → services
Home to nearly three million people, the Greater Tunis region has faced repeated flooding in recent years.
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region → face → years
Thursday’s flooding came only months after severe January rains caused widespread disruption across the capital and other parts of the country, leaving several people dead and causing significant damage.
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rains → come → damage
Weather warnings had been issued in advance, but the decision to suspend classes in Tunis was announced only shortly before it took effect.
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it → issue → effect
Parents rushed to schools to collect their children as the rain intensified and traffic backed up across the capital.
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traffic → rush → capital
Videos shared online showed flooded streets, cars stranded in rising water and what appeared to be power lines catching fire.
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what → share → fire
Residents also reported power and internet cuts and water entering homes.
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Residents → report → homes
‘The road became almost unrecognisable’
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road → become → ?
Fatma, a 35-year-old employee in Tunis, said the situation deteriorated quickly as she struggled to get home safely.
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she → say → Tunis
“At about 4pm, the road became almost unrecognisable.
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road → become → pm
The tunnel leading to Bab Saadoun was completely closed because of the rain,” she told Al Jazeera.
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she → lead → Jazeera
“Most people were stranded by the roadside for hours, waiting for public transport that never came.
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that → strand → transport
I saw three cars that filled with water and broke down, and people carrying their children on their shoulders.
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that → see → shoulders
“Every season, the same thing happens.
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thing → happen → ?
Roads close and traffic comes to a complete standstill.
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traffic → close → standstill
All the drains start overflowing with waste,” she said.
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she → start → waste
The National Institute of Meteorology had warned of locally heavy thunderstorms on Thursday, including heavy rain over short periods that could cause flooding, disrupt traffic and overwhelm drainage networks.
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that → warn → networks
It also warned of potential power cuts.
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It → warn → cuts
Residents question flood preparedness
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Residents → question → preparedness
“Tunisia has become used to these disasters.
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Tunisia → become → disasters
Every year, we end up flooded even when there is little rain,” said Intissar, 33, from the Lafayette area of Tunis.
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Intissar → end → Tunis
She blamed local authorities for failing to carry out preventive work before the rainy season.
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She → blame → season
“This is work that should have been done during the summer,” she said.
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she → do → summer
But she also acknowledged the role of residents.
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she → acknowledge → residents
“We cannot deny the responsibility of citizens who dump waste that blocks drainage channels,” she said.
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she → deny → channels
At a government meeting in August, officials called for drainage networks and waterways to be cleaned and flood-protection work to be accelerated.
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work → call → August
The government said 29 flood-protection projects were under way across the country.
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projects → say → country
The flooding comes as Tunisia prepares for a national march in Tunis on Saturday, with organisers calling for the release of four activists detained in connection with the Al-Soumoud Flotilla.
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organisers → come → Flotilla
The march is scheduled for 5pm, as rain is forecast to continue through Saturday.
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rain → schedule → Saturday
A struggle to get home
Fatma said the lack of reliable public transport, combined with repeated flooding, was making it increasingly difficult for people to manage without cars.
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people → get → cars
“The problem makes people look for their own solutions.
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people → make → solutions
That is why most people are trying to find a way to buy a car, because it has become difficult to live without one with these recurring problems,” she said.
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she → try → problems
The flooding also came as students returned to schools and universities this week, adding pressure to roads and public transport.
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students → come → roads
For Fatma, the disruption is becoming a familiar pattern.
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disruption → become → Fatma
“This shows that the state has no vision.
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state → show → vision
It is caught off-guard just like citizens are,” she said.
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she → catch → guard
The Aporia
