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Drinking water supply and sanitation in Algeria is characterized by achievements and challenges. Among the achievements is a substantial increase in the amount of drinking water supplied from reservoirs, long-distance water transfers and desalination at a low price to consumers, thanks to the country's substantial oil and gas revenues. These measures increased per capita water supply despite a rapidly increasing population. Another achievement is the transition from intermittent to continuous water supply in the capital Algiers in 2011, along with considerable improvements in wastewater treatment resulting in better water quality at beaches. These achievements were made possible through a public-private partnership with a private French water company. The number of wastewater treatment plants throughout the country increased rapidly from only 18 in 2000 to 113 in 2011, with 96 more under construction. However, there are also many challenges. One of them is poor service quality in many cities outside Algiers with 78% of urban residents suffering from intermittent water supply. Another challenge is the pollution of water resources. There has also been insufficient progress concerning reuse of treated water, a government priority in this dry country.
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Access
According to the UN, 84% of Algerians had access to an improved water source in 2010, including 74% that had access to drinking water on their premises. The remainder had access to fountains, standpipes, protected wells or protected springs, mostly in rural areas. 95% of Algerians had access to improved sanitation. The Algerian government states that access water supply is higher than shown in the UN statistics, with 93% being linked to drinking water networks in 2010. It also says that 86% of the population are connected to sewer networks.
Service quality
Only 22% of urban residents in Algeria receive water 24 hours per day. 34% receive water only once per day, 24% every second day and 14% only every third day. In some regions water only comes every 10 days, such as in the Bouzeguène District and other districts in the Kabylie region. These shortages are not due to drought or water scarcity, but to poor execution and lack of completion of works, poor maintenance and numerous illegal connections to the network. Residents store water in tanks or jerry cans in their houses, or fill up jerry cans at water towers particularly during the summer. In Setif in Northeastern Algeria water shortages have led to protests and clashes with the police. In contrast, in Algiers continuous water supply was established with the help of a French private company, SUEZ, in 2011.
Water use
According to government sources, in 2011 average water production was as high as 170 liter per capita and day. As of 2000, per capita water production varied between different parts of the country. It was highest in Ghardaia with 220 liter per capita per day and lowest in Sidi Bel Abbes with only 65 liter. In Oran and Mostaganem water production was only 70 liter. Actual water use is lower than the above figures because of distribution losses. Non-revenue water, consisting of physical and administrative losses, was estimated at 40% in 2004.
Policy and regulation
The Ministry of Water Resources is in charge of policy-making for drinking water supply and sanitation, as well as for water resources management. Within the Ministry there is a directorate for drinking water and another directorate for sanitation and the environment. The Ministry also has 48 branches in each province (wilaya) of Algeria.
Service provision
80% of water distribution systems in Algeria are under the responsibility of Algérienne des Eaux (AdE), a state-owned company. Most sewer systems are under the responsibility of the Office National d'Assainissement (ONA). Both entities were created in 2001 and operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Water Resources that was established a year earlier.
AdE serves 3.4 million customers in 814 out of 1,541 municipalities. By law it is charged not only to provide water services, but also to promote water conservation and to increase public awareness. The company operates extensive water transmission systems that transfer water over long distances, often covering several provinces. AdE has branches (unités) in each of the country's 48 provinces. In each of the four largest cities of Algeria, a joint subsidiary of AdE and ONA provides water and sanitation services:
In other parts of its service area, AdE directly provides water services through 15 "zones", each comprising two to four provinces. In 2014, AdE had 25,000 employees.
ONA operates sanitation systems on behalf of 708 municipalities and has more than 8,000 employees. It operates 68 wastewater treatment plants, about half the plants in the country. The remainder are operated by private companies operating under management contracts in the largest cities or by municipalities.
The Algerian Energy Company (AEC) develops power plants as well as desalination plants. It is a subsidiary of Sonatrach and Sonelgaz.
The private sector operates the water supply and sanitation systems of three large cities, i.e. Algiers, Oran and Constantine, under management contracts with AdE and ONA.
Investment and financing
Algeria plans to invest 20 billion US dollar in the water sector during the Five-Year Plan 2010-2014. Dams, which have accounted for 43% of water investments in 1995-2004, continue to be an important focus of water investments. Most investments are financed by the Algerian state from its vast oil and gas revenues. However, many desalination plants are financed by foreign direct investment through Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts.
Tariffs and cost recovery
The legal basis for water and sanitation tariffs is Decree 05-13 of January 9, 2005, on tariff policy (politique de tarification). It specifies five tariff zones: the hydrographic zones of Algiers, Oran, Costantine, Chlef and Ouargla covering together the entire country. However, in practice water and sanitation tariffs are almost the same throughout the zones, with tariffs being only 3 percent lower in the Chlef zone and about 8 percent lower in the Ouargla zones compared to the three other zones. Tariffs comprise a fixed and a variable component. The decree also defines three user categories: residential; administration and services; as well as industrial and touristic. The variable tariff component for residential users increases by consumption blocks. In the highest of the four blocks is 6.5 times more expensive than in the lowest block. The tariff in the other two user categories corresponds to the tariff in the highest residential consumption block. Tariffs are very low and are far from covering the costs of supply. Tariff increases have to be approved by the national government.
The first block of the residential tariffs, also called "social block" (tranche sociale), is charged until a consumption of 25 cubic meter per quarter, corresponding to 55 liter per capita per day for a family of five. In 2005 this tariff was 6.3 Algerian Dinar per cubic meter or 9 US Cents in the Algiers, Oran and Constantine zones. In 2014, this tariff remained unchanged according to the website of AdE. This tariff is about 20 times lower than water tariffs in Central Europe. The sewer tariff is even lower than the water tariff. For residential users in the first block in the zones Algiers, Constantine and Annaba it is 2.35 Algerian Dinar per cubic meter or 3 US Cents.