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afrol.com, 11 October - The African Development Bank (ADB) recently has approved a loan of approximately US$ 87 million to finance the Koudiat Acerdoune roller-compacted concrete dam project in Algeria, which is to provide Algiers with drinking water. The objective of the project is to harness River Isser water resources in order to meet the rising demand for drinking water in the city of Algiers and the wilayates in the region of Koudiat Acerdoune as well as the water requirements of new irrigation areas, the bank states. As from 2005, the project should supply 67 million m3 water to Algiers, 85 million m3 to the 4 wilayates (districts) situated in the vicinity of the dam and 26 million m3 for the irrigation of the Mitidja Plain and the River Isser valley. The project involves the construction of a regulating dam with a 110 metre high roller-compacted concrete dike, as well as environmental protection measures (reforestation, fruit tree plantations, fixing of rivers bed, etc.). The population that will be displaced by the dam-related flooding will be compensated and/or rehoused. It is not informed how many households that will have to be removed, but the project is located in one of the more densely populated regions of Algeria. The dam project will also involve related works such as road and electric power line diversion as well as support to the National Dam’s Agency (AND) and to the project Unit. The ADB loan will finance the entire foreign exchange of the project whose total cost amounts to approximately US$ 150 million. The loan will be repaid over 20 years including a 5-year grace period, the African Development Bank states. To date, the bank has committed a total of US$ 2.62 billion on 27 operations in Algeria. Of this amount, about US$ 1.41 billion has been disbursed.
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