The representatives of the National People’s Congress called on the government to provide clarifications on the strategy adopted to deal with the scarcity of rains, the drop in the filling rate of the dams and on the plan followed to continue to provide citizens with drinking water on a regular basis.
During the hearing organized by the Commission for Housing, Equipment and Town Planning in the Lower House of Parliament, in the presence of the Director General of the Water and Sanitation Company of Algeria “SEAL “, Lyes Mihoubi, the members of the commission questioned the programs of water distribution, in particular because of the lack of precipitation and the drop in the percentage of filling of the dams, the deputies called the persons in charge of the company to present new projects that will allow them in the future to no longer depend entirely on the dams to provide drinking water to the citizens, in accordance with the directives of the government, which insists on the importance of discharging it in the first place in the sector agricultural.
The general manager of the company said, during his meeting with the deputies, that the management team of “SEAL” in place of the French at the end of 2021, and at that time faces several obstacles which required a complete strategy to solve them, in addition to finding measures and solutions for the low water level in the dams due to the lack of rain, as well as the liquidation of the debts left by the French partner, which was estimated at approximately 15 billion dinars, indicates the person in charge of the SEAAL, in addition to the incompleteness of many projects on the level of the wilayas of Algiers and Tipaza.
What is the level of the dams supplying Algiers?
Mihoubi explained, according to the committee’s report, that the team of Algerians, who took over the management of the company 16 months ago, developed a proactive strategy aimed at preserving water resources in the dams in s relying on groundwater and desalinated seawater.
In addition, he pointed out that the level of the dams supplying the capital currently fluctuates between 14 and 15%, which has prompted the SEAAL to develop urgent programs to increase production, since more than 217 artesian wells have been drilled at the level of the capital and the wilaya of Tipaza, which made it possible to pump additional water during the year 2022.
Among the new projects approved by the company are the rehabilitation of 5 seawater desalination stations in the capital, and the completion of two huge stations, the first in La Marsa with a capacity of 60,000 meters. cubic meters, which will be launched soon, and the second in Korso, with a capacity of 80,000 cubic meters, which are projects that are expected to go into production in June 2023. And there will be additional projects, including large power stations. capacity of 300,000 cubic meters, which are currently under construction, and should be delivered at the end of 2024.
