In a Maghreb growing increasingly thirsty, water is no longer just a resource: it has become a diagnostic tool for our shared vulnerabilities, a marker of regional tensions, and perhaps — if we choose it — the foundation of a new era of ecological cooperation.

A Territory Weakened by Disrupted Hydrological Equilibria

In southwestern Algeria, where the Saharan Atlas meets the vast desert expanses, water has long shaped landscapes, oasis systems, and human settlement patterns. Today, these delicate equilibria are severely disrupted by climate change: declining rainfall, unstable seasons, prolonged droughts followed by sudden, violent floods.

These phenomena affect the entire Maghreb. The oueds feeding Béchar, Kenadsa, and Abadla show increasingly irregular flow regimes, revealing a hydrological cycle under intense pressure.

The modification of natural flows upstream, particularly on the Moroccan side of the High Atlas, has further weakened a hydrological balance already strained by prolonged drought, in line with analyses expressed by several national institutions.

The Jorf Torba dam is the most striking example: it remained nearly empty for two consecutive years and filled suddenly during the exceptional floods of 2024. This highlights a crucial issue: the problem is not only the lack of rainfall, but our limited ability to retain and manage available and future rainwater.

Restoring the Small Water Cycles: The Key to Resilience

Oasis landscapes once thrived thanks to finely regulated local water cycles: gentle rains, slow infiltration into soils, gradual aquifer recharge, and stable humidity supporting vegetation and microclimates. Today, this cycle is broken. Degraded soils absorb water poorly, rainfall runs off rapidly, vegetation declines, and arid conditions intensify.

Restoring small water cycles is therefore essential to stabilise ecosystems, strengthen hydrological security, and slow desertification.

Three Pillars of a National Water-Sovereignty Strategy

1. Reusing Wastewater Through Phytoremediation

In arid regions, domestic wastewater is a precious resource in itself.
Phytoremediation — a natural treatment technology based on filtering plants — can:

• reduce pressure on overexploited aquifers,
• irrigate local agriculture,
• regenerate degraded areas,
• create islands of shade and freshness.

It is simple, cost-effective, and perfectly suited to Saharan and rural territories.

2. Re-shaping the Landscape so that Not a Single Drop is Lost

Hydrological resilience is not built solely through large dams but through a network of lightweight interventions:

• infiltration thresholds,
• stone bunds,
• micro-dams,
• natural retention basins,
• temporary ponds,
• artificial aquifer recharge sites.

These structures reduce runoff, restore soils, rebuild local humidity, and revive degraded landscapes.

The absence of desilting at the Jorf Torba dam during its low-water period illustrates how essential meticulous infrastructure management is for maximising storage capacity.

3. Considering Cloud Seeding as a Complementary Tool

Cloud seeding, already used in several arid countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China), is a way to optimise existing rainfall.

Algeria possesses:

• vast mountainous and Saharan regions,
• atmospheric corridors favourable to cloud formation,
• a nationwide system of dams capable of storing large volumes of water.

When integrated into a coordinated national water strategy, this technique could strengthen hydrological security — provided it is paired with smart basin management and regular maintenance.

Rainwater Harvesting: A Cultural Breakthrough Before All Else

The water crisis is as cultural as it is hydrological. Resilience depends on our ability to see every roof, every street, and every public building as a potential water-catching surface.

One powerful symbol encapsulates this idea: The day the rainwater falling on mosque rooftops – where we officially pray God for rain – is harvested instead of being channeled into the sewers, a true civilisational milestone will have been reached.

Ablution water — already lightly polluted — can be treated through simple systems and then reused to:

• irrigate gardens,
• water shade-giving trees,
• support low-consumption urban water circuits.

Water sovereignty begins with this fundamental principle: retain water where it falls.

Reviving the Landscapes: Toward an Integrated National Strategy

Preserving Saharan and pre-Saharan territories sustainably requires:

• restoring degraded soils,
• revitalising oasis systems,
• rehabilitating foggaras and khettaras,
• capturing water locally,
• slowing and spreading runoff,
• coordinating scientific, institutional, and community expertise.

This approach is ecological, technical, political, and civilisational.

Conclusion: Rebuilding the Rain, Not Just Waiting for It

Confronted with climate change, the challenge is no longer to passively endure droughts, but to rebuild the natural conditions that allow water to return, infiltrate, nourish ecosystems, and give life back to the land.

Algeria has the skills, the land, and the technologies to become a regional model in hydrological regeneration for arid zones.

The gradual greening of the Sahara, the renewal of oases, and the reinforcement of water sovereignty are not utopian dreams. They stem from a simple principle: ensure that every drop counts. The Maghreb can still choose Green Peace. And Algeria can lead the way.

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