Tunisia's Gabes: A Coastal Town Devastated by Phosphate Plant Pollution

Environmental Devastation in Gabes

• 🏭 The coastal city of Gabes in Tunisia, once an ecological jewel, is now a toxic wasteland due to a phosphates processing plant.
• 🌊 Once glistening waters now run dark with rust-colored streaks, trees are dying, and fish are vanishing.
• 💨 Smog chokes the sky, and a suffocating stench permeates the air, creating a nightmare for residents.

Health Crisis and Resident Suffering

• 💔 Residents, environmentalists, and officials identify the state-owned Tunisian Chemical Group (CGT) plant as the culprit.
• 🏥 The town suffers from high rates of cancer, respiratory illnesses, and bone disease, with families deeply affected by sickness and loss.
• 💊 Medications for osteoporosis and throat cancer are common, and inhalers are described as a "daily bread" for residents.
• 👧 Children are also affected, with reports of students gasping and walking slower due to toxic emissions.

Protests and Government Response

• ✊ Anger over the plant's impact led to major protests, challenging President Kais Saied's power.
• 💥 Protesters stormed the CGT complex, leading to police intervention with tear gas.
• 🗣️ President Saied has described the conditions as "environmental assassination" but blamed previous governments and called for ministries to address chemical leaks.

The Phosphogypsum Problem

• ☢️ A byproduct of phosphate processing, phosphogypsum, is a radioactive material containing cancer-causing radium and radon gas.
• dumping of 14,000 to 15,000 tons of phosphogypsum daily into the sea was estimated in a 2025 audit.
• 📉 While definitive links are hard to establish due to a lack of studies, local doctors have observed a significant spike in cancer cases.

Economic Context and Demands

• 💰 The Gabes complex is Tunisia's largest phosphates processing plant, crucial for government revenues amidst soaring debt and weak growth.
• 🚫 Residents' primary demand is the dismantling of the chemical plant, stating that they "can't breathe" and have "no hope in life" as long as it remains operational.