Water resources in Algeria

 

Water resources in Algeria

     Water is the main nerve of life, so water is the origin of life and the main factor for the survival of humans, animals and plants, and the lack of water means the absence of life on the planet , and water has many uses besides drinking such as cooking, washing, cleaning, and many industrial and agricultural uses, and water has many renewable and non-renewable sources

  water in Algeria

    Renewable water in Algeria is estimated to be around 19.5 billion cubic meters, which is a small amount compared to the population of Algeria. The per capita quota is estimated at about 450 cubic meters, and this figure is below the water scarcity threshold of 500 cubic meters per person, indicating that Algeria is on the brink of water scarcity. 

     Algerian traditional water sources

Among the traditional sources of water in Algeria are the following:

•      rain water

     Rain is a major source of water, and rainfall varies from region to region. For example, the amount of rain that falls in the Algerian capital, Algeria, is estimated to be about 700 mm in a year, but the figures differ depending on whether we go to the western regions, which can reach 400 mm, or if we go to the east, precipitation can reach 1,200 mm. 

• water surface

     Water energy is concentrated in the northern regions of Algeria, estimated at 12.5 billion cubic meters, divided into 10 billion cubic meters as surface flows and 2.5 billion cubic meters as groundwater (renewable) sources. In underground resources, bringing the total hydropower in Algeria to about 18 billion cubic meters per year.

•      groundwater

Groundwater is divided into groundwater in the north and groundwater in the south as follows:

groundwater in the north

     Two billion cubic meters are the underground water resources available to northern Algeria, and 75% of this water is concentrated in the main aquifers, of which 90% is exploited. 

groundwater in the south

Groundwater is present in large quantities in many regions such as Adrar, Ghain Saleh and Biskra, the depth of which ranges from 10 to 2,000 m.

unconventional water resources

In view of the increasing population and lack of rainwater, the state has adopted many methods to meet the growing needs, and these methods include the following:

•      desalination of sea water

Algeria is situated on a 1,622 km coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, which has provided it with a large amount of seawater desalination, which is used in many ways, such as providing drinking water and agricultural irrigation water to many cities and towns. far from the coast. 

•      Wastewater reuse

     The urgent need for water led the Algerian government to build treatment plants, repair the old ones and draw up a plan to increase the number of stations to 239, with a total capacity of 1,200 million cubic meters of drinking water per year. and agricultural