LEGAL MECHANISMS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FOGGARA IN ALGERIAN LEGISLATION

R. REZIG

Abstract


The foggaras are one of the oldest traditional ways to use groundwater in Algeria. They have helped oasis communities stay stable for hundreds of years and made sure that water is safe in dry areas. What makes it unique is that it combines the technical side of irrigation sciences and hydraulic engineering with the social and cultural side that makes it an intangible heritage of value to civilization. But this system is now vulnerable to a number of problems, including desertification, drought, and the random drilling of mechanical wells, as well as the decline of traditional ways of keeping things in good shape.
In this context, the legal framework becomes crucial for safeguarding and ensuring the sustainability of the foggaras, as the involvement of the Algerian legislator is evident through various texts pertaining to water, the environment, and cultural heritage, alongside international obligations to preserve intangible heritage. This overlap shows how important it is to combine irrigation sciences, which offer technical solutions, with law, which provides regulatory and institutional tools, to protect the foggaras as an important water source and a symbol of cultural identity.


Keywords


Foggara, water resources, desert oases, local traditional practices, legal protection.

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References


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