The insurance industry in Tunisia paid fire insurance claims totalling TND25m ($8m) in 2015 and the quantum jumped over the years to TND107m in 2020. That represented an average increase over 30% a year, according to a statement released by the Tunisian Federation of Insurance Companies (FTUSA).
In this connection, the FTUSA announced that it would stage an awareness day today with the theme: “Prevention against the risk of fire: everyone concerned…everyone involved”.
The federation will present the state of fire risk, particularly in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
Apart from fires breaking out on farmland and in industrial zones, there is concern over forest fires. In anticipation of summer and its heat waves, often accompanied by forest fires, the National Agricultural Observatory (ONAGRI) has published statistics that show increases in the number of wildfires and the losses they have caused.
The area of burnt forests increased from 2,000 hectares in 2011 to 25,000 hectares in 2021. The data provided by ONAGRI also show that during the period 1956-2010, the average annual number of fires was 107 resulting in the loss of 1,300 hectares per year. This average increased during the period 2011-2020, to 198 fires with the loss of 3,000 hectares per year.
Source MEIR
