Algeria's ministry of water resources has set aside DZD 41 billion (USD 512 million) for the construction of seven dams to be located in the states of Batna, Tizi Ouzou, Souk Ahras, El Taref, Tissem silt, Al Shalf and Sidi Bel Abbès, a ministry official told Zawya.
"Sector officials have been instructed to expedite the completion of these projects before the end of 2013. The National Agency for Investment Development is currently overseeing the progress of all seven projects, in addition to a number of local contractors and a Chinese contracting company," said Hocine Necib, Algeria's minister of water resources.
The projects are part of a collaborative program that will soon be ratified between the governments of Algeria and the United States, the minister added. The North African nation is expected to have 84 dams, by the end of the year with a capacity to store around 9.8 billion cubic meters of water, as the government continues to tap the country's water resource potential.
Around 250 sites across Algeria have been identified as ideal locations for dam construction, 50 of which are suitable for large dams with a storage capacity exceeding 10 billion cubic meters. Total storage capacity of all these dams is around 5,000 billion cubic meters.
The seven proposed dams are anticipated to address a growing domestic water crisis, which has been aggravated by the country's climatic attributes ranging from arid to semi-arid conditions throughout the year, said Masud Mjeitna, economics professor at the University of Algiers.
"Additional projects targeting the water sector are expected to substantially contribute to rejuvenating the tourism, industrial and agriculture sectors of the country," he said.
© Zawya 2013
