BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- The Minister of Hydraulics, Taha Derbal reported, Saturday in Algiers, a decline in the filling level of the dams, from a rate of 32% recorded last December, to 29%.
The Minister spoke at a lively press conference on the sidelines of the National Conference of Hydraulic Executives at the Ministry’s headquarters under the theme: “Modernization of the management of the public water service”.
Asked about the filling rate of the dams, the Minister replied that it had reached 29%, against 32% last December, explaining this drop by “the low rainfall recorded in recent years and not only this year”.
At a time when the sector is experiencing an increase in demand for water, climate change is exacerbating the situation, leading to a continuous decline in the reserve of dams and water layers. “Despite these conditions, the drinking water supply remains acceptable in general, with the exception of certain regions,” he argued, according to the APS agency.
Development of a special drinking water supply plan
At the same time, Mr. derbal announced the development of a special drinking water supply plan, able to cover next summer season ‘s demand “with ease”.
The minister who indicated that “the situation is not at all worrying, the public authorities having mobilized all the means to guarantee the supply of drinking water. The sector has drawn up a well-defined action plan in this regard,” he reassured.
The Minister estimated that “the situation will be globally under control”, calling, on this occasion, managers and workers in the sector to “commit” and make every effort to carry out this plan.
Availability of water resources necessary for the agricultural sector
In addition, Mr. Derbal reassured about the availability of water resources necessary for the agricultural sector, noting the “strategic” nature of agricultural activities and their role in reviving the national economy.
He highlighted the importance of seawater desalination plants, being “the ideal solution to support and ensure the supply of drinking water, which will also benefit the agricultural sector, in the sense that quantities of surface water stored in dams and previously used for drinking water supply will be transferred to the agricultural sector”.
Mr. Derbal underlined the imperative of using treated water to meet the demands of the agricultural sector, assuring that the country has important basic infrastructures in this field and uses economical systems, such as fan spraying and “drop by drop”.
The Minister advocated the use of digital technology for optimal control of the drinking water supply, in particular through the creation of an accurate database, describing digital technology as a “strategic and essential choice for improving and modernizing public service “.
To this end, the Minister gave instructions to all the companies placed under the supervision to launch digitization “immediately” and ensure its application within “the time limits”, underlining the availability of the necessary financial envelopes.
