Integrated management of water resources in the Mina watershed (North West of Algeria)

ABSTRACT As Algeria has experienced a significant reduction of water reserves, especially in the western catchment, it is necessary to find an effective way to manage this important resource. Integrated water management (IWM) has gained considerable importance worldwide as it has proven to be very effective in addressing water resource scarcity. This research, conducted in the Mina watershed, aims to identify the current and future water demands of the population by 2040, as well as the needs of the agricultural and industrial sectors using the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) model. Water supplies in all administrative divisions of the Mina watershed were estimated at 120 M·m3 in 2010. Five different scenarios are the subject of this WEAP analysis: population and territory expansion, recycling and reuse of treated wastewater, water shortages, and impact of reservoir storage capacity. According to the reference scenario, the water demand is expected to increase by 140 M·m3. The scenario taking into account population growth and land expansion predicts an increase of 180 M·m3. Wastewater recycling and reduced irrigation may mitigate the water deficit to 120 and 110 M·m3, respectively. Surface water exploitation compensates for the scarcities with 12.34 M·m3.