TUNIS / Adel Al-Thabeti / Anadolu

Tunisian President Kais Saied described the water and electricity cuts and the fires sweeping the country as 'unusual phenomena,' stressing that the state 'will not stand idly by' in the face of those seeking to persecute citizens and inflame the situation.

This came during a meeting Saied held with a number of ministers and officials at Carthage Palace on Wednesday evening to discuss the water and electricity cuts and fires coinciding with a severe heat wave, according to a statement from the Tunisian presidency issued on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Khaled Al-Nouri, Minister of Equipment and Housing and Acting Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Salah Zouari, Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Azzedine Ben Cheikh, along with other officials.

Saied said he is monitoring the situation across the country 'around the clock.'

He added that 'the cuts in water and electricity, as well as the fires, represent unusual phenomena, and the state will not stand idly by before anyone who seeks to persecute citizens and inflame the situation.'

He stressed that the continuation of water and electricity cuts in some areas for more than 24 hours 'is something that must be stopped immediately.'

He called on the relevant authorities to inform citizens in advance when forced to cut services, and to choose a timing that does not increase their suffering, especially amid the extreme rise in temperatures.

The Tunisian president praised the efforts of civil protection units, in coordination with military, security and administrative structures, in extinguishing fires and limiting their spread.

His statements come amid a severe heat wave that hit Tunisia, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in many areas, while Kairouan recorded 49.7 degrees on July 17, breaking the national record for July.

The heat wave coincided with a sharp increase in the number of fires and increased pressure on the electricity and water networks.

On Wednesday, the head of the sub-directorate of operations and follow-up at the Civil Protection, Lieutenant Colonel Khalil al-Machri, announced the recording of about 600 fires in 48 hours, at a rate of one fire every 5 minutes.

Al-Machri said in statements to local Mosaic Radio that civil protection units recorded record numbers of interventions, coinciding with the heat wave.

Areas have also been witnessing repeated power outages for days, which the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas said come 'within the framework of preserving the safety and sustainability of the electrical system.'

On Saturday, during a visit to the Ghadir al-Qalla water complex in the Mornaguia area west of the capital, Saied criticized the recurrence of power outages and their simultaneity in several areas.

He then said that power outages occur in all countries, but for limited periods, not with this frequency and in many areas at the same time, vowing to hold accountable anyone proven to be negligent.

The outages come despite the authorities' announcement that electricity production rose by 6 percent during the first five months of 2026, compared to the same period last year, while production directed to the local market increased by 4 percent.