The government of Algeria according to Arezki Berraki, the Algerian Minister of Water Resources, is to undertake construction of three seawater desalination plants in the country.
The water infrastructures will be put up in the wilaya of Algiers, the smallest and the most populous of the 48 wilayas of the country, in Annaba, a town situated in the north-east of the country, 536 kilometers east of the capital Algiers, and in Skikda, a commune situated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, 471 kilometers east of Algiers.
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Further to the seawater desalination plants, Minister Berraki mentioned that the project also provides for the development of the supply network of the desalinated water to the country’s coastal towns and the dedication of water from dams to inland towns and irrigation. The main objective of this project is to decrease the over-reliance of rainwater in these cities.
Boost to the existing desalination plants
With an approximated capacity of over 300,000 m3/day, the construction of three seawater desalination plants upon completion will reinforce the already existing 11 seawater desalination plants spread over 9 provinces which are: Chlef, Tlemcen, Algiers, Skikda, Mostaganem, Oran, Boumerdès, Tipaza, and Ain Témouchent.
With a combined capacity of over 2,110,000 cubic meters a day, the 11 plants currently produce approximately 17 % of the total amount of drinking water consumed all over the North African country.
The current water situation in Algeria
Speaking on the current water situation in Algeria, minister Berraki, said that the country has recently experienced heavy rainfalls which have contributed to the increase of water volume in the national reserves by more than 300 million m³.
This brings the total volume to 4.2 billion cubic meters which according to the minister, should be enough to serve the Algerian population demand during the next summer.
