The Impact Of The Ghrib Dam On Agricultural Areas In Upper Chelef Perimeter

Abstract

The western interior regions of Algeria are characterised by a humid and rainy climate in winter, dry and hot in summer, with high temperatures and fluctuating amounts of rainfall during the months of the year, resulting in sudden and torrential rains in a short period of time that erode the banks of the valleys of the water basins feeding the dams, and the erosion of significant amounts of mud and silt and their deposition in the bottoms of the exploited dams causing blockages in the dam channels distributing irrigation water to agricultural areas. This article aims to analyse the issue of the siltation of the Ghrib dam exploited by the National Agency for Dams and Diversions, and its repercussions on the irrigated areas in the Upper Chlef region, as well as the factors leading to this phenomenon. In addition to mentioning ways to minimise this issue, which threatens the surface water in the exploited Ghrib Dam, especially the water available for irrigation.