INTERVIEW- Algeria to Invest $10 Billion in Water Sector
Date: 07-Mar-06
Country: ALGERIA
Author: Lamine Chikhi
OPEC member Algeria has launched a five-year plan worth $80 billion to put its economy back on track as it emerges from a decade-long Islamic uprising in which 150,000 people died.
Under the investment programme launched last year, the government aims to renew infrastructure that has suffered from years of under-investment.
A growing population has put increasing strain on the country's utilities, and people in the capital Algiers and other cities suffer periodically from shortages of drinking water, especially in summer.
"We will invest something like $10 billion in the water sector, and we do need foreign expertise and know-how to make our programme become a reality," Sellal told Reuters on Monday.
He said an international tender to build a water transfer pipe to link the southern city of Tamanrasset to the city of Ain-Saleh would be launched in July. The pipe will cover a distance of 750 kilometres (466 miles), and the project will cost more than $1 billion.
Another tender to build three dams in the region of Setif, 300 kilometres east of Algiers, will be launched in April.
"These are pharaonic projects, and we encourage all international companies to bid, as well as consortiums. There is so much to do including dams, desalination plants and pipelines," Sellal said.
"There are 57 dams all over the country, and we must reach 69 dams in 2008. This is not just talk, but concrete projects."
DROUGHT
Besides providing drinking water, the dams will also serve to irrigate crops and improve the country's grain harvest, which is often affected by drought.
Algeria is the biggest importer of wheat in North Africa, with 5 million tonnes per year. Its own wheat harvest does not exceed 4 million tonnes during the best seasons.
The country's annual needs are estimated at 7 million tonnes.
"Improving agricultural productivity is what is at stake. Reducing our dependence on rainfall is key, and this is why we are investing a lot in the water sector," Sellal said.
Around four fifths of Algeria is desert, where rainfall is practically zero. Only in the north can surface water be used.
According to official figures, only 5 billion cubic metres of water are collected annually, and the country could produce nearly 12 billion.
"Each Algerian consumes an average of 600 cubic meters per year," said water expert Messahel Mekki. "That is below the World Health Organization (WHO) rate estimated at 1,000 cubic meters per year. Obviously we have to do something, and now."
