Sellal inspects progress of construction of mega water-transfer project in Sétif

PRIME MINISTER ON WORKING VISIT TO SETIF

SETIF (Algeria)- The mega water-transfer project, designed to convey yearly over 300 million cubic meters to the province of Sétif (300 km east of Algiers) as from the dams of Ighil Emda (Bejaia) and Erraguene (Jijel) has been inspected Tuesday by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal who insisted on delivering this project before late 2014.

This DZD billion-budget mega project, part of the development of Setif high plains, is equipped with East system resulting in a new dam built in Draâ Eddis, near El Eulma, which will receive Erraguene dam waters and a West system leading to a new water detention structure in the locality of Mahouane, few kilometers of Sétif, and where will be stored waters stemming from Ighil Emda dam in Kherrata (Bejaia).
The "West" section will be delivered during 2014, declared the officials of water resource directorate.
This project of large transfers is one of the most important projects that Algeria has launched since independence. It is also considered as the most difficult to have been initiated in the country in terms of the technologies used for its building.
The "significant" impacts of these large transfers were highlighted by the officials in charge of the project who have recalled that thanks to this project, 40,000 hectares of additional farmland, mainly grain will be irrigated, in addition to providing drinking water for a population of 1.3 million. .

APS