M’Sila / A welcoming ceremony was held for Mr. Lounès Bouzguza, Minister of Hydraulics, and the members of his accompanying delegation by Mr. Nadjm Eddine Tayyar, Wali of the Wilaya, at the official guest residence at the Wilaya headquarters, on Wednesday evening, 06 May 2026. The ceremony was attended by the President of the People’s Provincial Assembly, members of the Wilaya Security Committee, members of the People’s National Assembly, the Local Delegate of the Ombudsman of the Republic, the Secretary-General of the Wilaya, the Director of Water Resources, the Director of Civil Protection, the Head of the Daïra of M’Sila, the President of the People’s Communal Assembly of M’Sila, Executive Directors, the Director of the M’Sila Unit of the Algerian Water Company, the Director of the M’Sila Unit of the National Sanitation Office, and senior officials of the water resources sector.
The working and inspection visit of Mr. Lounès Bouzguza, Minister of Hydraulics, began today, Thursday, 07 May 2026, with a meeting devoted to reviewing the situation of the sector, held at the Noureddine Sahraoui Meeting Room at the Wilaya headquarters. The meeting was attended by Mr. Nadjm Eddine Tayyar, Wali of the Wilaya, the President of the People’s Provincial Assembly, the Delegate Wali of Boussaâda, members of the Wilaya Security Committee, members of both chambers of Parliament, the Local Delegate of the Ombudsman of the Republic, the Inspector-General of the Wilaya, members of the Higher Council for Youth, as well as the Director of Water Resources, the Director of Civil Protection, the Head of the Daïra of M’Sila, the President of the People’s Communal Assembly of M’Sila, Executive Directors, the Director of the M’Sila Unit of the Algerian Water Company, the Director of the M’Sila Unit of the National Sanitation Office, senior officials of the water resources sector and members of the media.
Following the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and the national anthem, the Wali, in his address, welcomed the Minister of Hydraulics and his accompanying delegation. He then presented the situation of the water resources sector, highlighting the achievements made, the projects registered and currently under implementation, as well as the measures taken to improve the public service of supplying the population with drinking water.
The President of the People’s Provincial Assembly highlighted the urgent needs in terms of drinking water supply, as well as the need to construct water retention structures and dams.
The Director of Water Resources of the Wilaya delivered a comprehensive presentation on the situation of the sector, covering sector indicators, various registered, completed and ongoing projects, as well as prospects for strengthening water resources and improving public services.
Drinking Water Supply: Sources of Supply
• Groundwater resources:
- The number of operational boreholes used for drinking water supply stands at 498, representing 90% of the water resources allocated to supplying the population with drinking water, with a volume of 187,481 m³/day.
- Number of boreholes managed by the Algerian Water Company: 209.
- Number of boreholes managed by municipalities: 289.
• Surface water resources:
The Wilaya is supplied by three (03) dams: Soubella Dam in M’Sila, Koudiat Asserdoune Dam and Tilsdit Dam in Bouira. These resources account for 10% of the water allocated for supplying the population with drinking water.
- Koudiat Asserdoune Dam (Bouira) supplies six (06) municipalities. The volume allocated to the Wilaya is 15,000 m³/day, while the actual volume supplied is 13,668 m³/day, representing a deficit of 1,332 m³/day. The beneficiary municipalities are: Aïn El Hadjel (3,455 m³), Sidi Hadjerès (415 m³), Sidi Aïssa (5,667 m³), Bouti Sayeh (442 m³) and Boussaâda (3,689 m³).
- Tilsdit Dam (Bouira) supplies the municipalities of Hammam Dalaâ and Ouennougha. The volume allocated to the Wilaya is 4,000 m³/day, while the actual supply amounts to 3,643 m³/day, representing a deficit of 357 m³/day. The beneficiary municipalities are Hammam Dalaâ (929 m³) and Ouennougha (2,714 m³).
- Soubella Dam supplies the municipalities of Magra and Berhoum. Its storage capacity is estimated at 17 million m³, while its production capacity is 4,200 m³/day. Current production stands at 2,800 m³/day, distributed between Magra (800 m³/day) and Berhoum (2,000 m³/day). The facility is currently undergoing maintenance by the relevant services, pending the supply, installation and commissioning of the new station, with a maximum production capacity estimated at 4,200 m³/day.
Management and Operating Indicators
- Number of municipalities managed by the Algerian Water Company: 21 municipalities.
- Number of municipalities managed by municipal services: 26 municipalities.
- Total length of the drinking water network across the Wilaya: 5,393 km.
- Number of reservoirs: 520 reservoirs, with a total storage capacity estimated at 275,408 m³.
- Average network connection rate: 93%.
Current Production
- 498 operational boreholes, with an estimated total production of 202,143 m³/day, including 187,481 m³/day from groundwater and 14,662 m³/day from surface water.
Drinking Water Distribution Programme Across the Wilaya’s Municipalities
• Distribution frequency across all municipalities of the Wilaya:
- 1% of the population receives a daily 24-hour water supply, representing 13,479 inhabitants.
- 6% of the population receives a daily supply for 4 hours per day, representing 80,575 inhabitants.
- 48% of the population receives water from once every two days to once every five days, with an average daily supply duration of 4.02 hours, representing 646,997 inhabitants.
- 45% of the population receives water from once every six days to once every nineteen days, with an average daily supply duration of 4.02 hours, representing 606,559 inhabitants.
Projects Aimed at Improving Drinking Water Supply
As part of the daily monitoring of the population’s drinking water needs and in order to improve the regularity and continuity of drinking water supply, the Wilaya of M’Sila benefited, during the period 2023–2026, from 89 borehole projects, with a financial allocation estimated at 343.1 billion centimes, as follows:
• Physical status of the borehole projects:
- The total number of boreholes stands at 89, with a total amount of 343.1 billion centimes, including:
- 33 boreholes commissioned;
- 06 boreholes completed;
- 32 boreholes under construction;
- 14 boreholes undergoing administrative procedures, including projects registered for 2026;
- 04 unsuccessful boreholes. For two of these, alternative drilling sites have been selected, while the other two projects were terminated with the contracting company.
- Regarding the four boreholes in the municipality of Aïn El Melh, the completion rate has reached 100%, with a combined flow rate estimated at 50 litres/second. They have also been connected to the electricity network, pending the equipment installation operation scheduled for the coming days. The connection of these four boreholes to the reservoir has reached 70%, over a total network length estimated at 8 km. Water will be conveyed from the proposed reservoir over a distance of 23 km from the main pipeline. The installation of 8 km of pipelines has already been completed. Upon completion of an additional 5 km, the population of Aïn El Melh will be supplied with drinking water as an emergency measure, pending the subsequent completion of the remaining section.
- The six completed artesian wells, for which network and electricity connections remain to be completed, are currently undergoing administrative procedures to finalize the connection works.
Proposals
- Increase the water allocation granted to the Wilaya, previously estimated at 47,000 m³/day, instead of 15,000 m³/day, in order to eliminate the recorded deficit and improve drinking water supply.
- Conduct a geophysical survey in the municipality of Es Souamaa with a view to establishing a new water abstraction field and identifying additional water resources.
- Conduct a geophysical survey throughout the Wilaya to identify groundwater aquifers and assess the available water reserves across the municipalities of the Wilaya.
The Minister expressed his satisfaction and appreciation during his visit to the Wilaya, which takes place within the framework of the directives of the President of the Republic. He also addressed the sector’s indicators, the various registered, completed and ongoing projects, as well as prospects for strengthening water resources and improving public services.
The Minister commended the efforts made and the continuous improvement in drinking water supply, highlighting the resources available to the Wilaya and the diversity of its water sources. He called for their optimal utilization, sound management and greater operational efficiency, while emphasizing the rational use of water resources.
The Minister also highlighted the ambitious programme allocated to the Wilaya, which is expected to progressively meet its needs for this vital resource and advance the Wilaya towards achieving water security.
He further issued a number of practical directives aimed at improving drinking water supply, notably by accelerating the implementation of projects, taking immediate action to address leaks and unauthorized connections, and stressing the need to prioritize needs according to established priorities.
