SUREXPLOITATION DES RESSOURCES EN EAU DE L’AQUIFERE DU PLATEAU DE MOSTAGANEM

Abstract

The Land aquifer of Mostaganem (Algeria) is an important source of water for its surrounding area. In addition to providing water for agriculture and manufactories, several neighboring cities rely on the aquifer as a principal source of their municipal water supplies. Prior to the start of large-scale pumping for irrigation in the 1960ts, the aquifer was in equilibrium. Increased pumping from the aquifer has resulted in widespread water-level declines. This depletion in groundwater levels in combination with changes in land-use practices have been recognized to be a primary cause of decreases in stream discharge.

The purpose of this paper is to answer to the question: Is this groundwater depletion, the inevitable and natural consequence of withdrawing water from the aquifer as it is suggested by the substantial head declines and the persistent decreases in well yields?

An attempt to estimate the groundwater budget of the aquifer evaluates the deficit to 276 millions of cube meters (waters years1990-2010). Globally, this means that the excessive groundwater withdrawals 3 m³/s.

Thus for a sustainable exploitation of the land aquifer a groundwater resource management model is required.