Water Resources Minister Highlights Treated Water for Farm Growth
Algeria is implementing its food security policy by increasing agricultural areas and extending irrigated perimeters, with the reuse of treated wastewater emerging as a crucial strategy to overcome limitations in surface water resources. During recent work visits to the country's west, including Saïda, Tiaret, and Sidi Bel Abbès, Minister of Water Resources, Lounès Bouzegza, consistently emphasized the importance of treated water reuse. This approach supports the policy of expanding agricultural land and irrigated surfaces while preserving conventional, increasingly scarce, surface water.
Concrete initiatives are being rolled out to achieve these goals. In Tiaret, firm instructions were issued for establishing treated water recovery stations to redirect water towards agricultural irrigation, particularly as regions like Tiaret and Sidi Bel Abbès possess high-yield agricultural lands awaiting optimal exploitation. Further demonstrating this commitment, a new wastewater treatment plant was inaugurated in Frenda, and rehabilitation work, including the addition of tertiary treatment, was inspected at the Aïn Ezzerga STEP in Saïda, both designed to contribute to expanding irrigated areas. In Ras El-Ma, Sidi Bel Abbès, the minister laid the cornerstone for a 100-hectare agricultural irrigation project that will be entirely supplied by the commune's wastewater treatment plant, reflecting a national strategy to generalize the use of purified wastewater for agriculture and valorize this non-conventional water resource.
Algeria currently operates 234 wastewater treatment plants, with an installed capacity to treat 1.1 billion cubic meters annually, a figure that could potentially reach 1.5 billion cubic meters. While 560 million cubic meters are treated each year, only 18% to 20% of this volume is presently reused for irrigation. The national objective, set by high authorities, aims to double this volume by 2030, targeting 60% reuse of treated water for irrigation. This strategic focus reinforces Algeria's position as a pioneer in the construction of modern, international-standard wastewater treatment plants, serving as a reference for several African countries, with 26 additional plants expected to be commissioned before the end of the year from 70 currently under construction.
