Oued Athmania: A water supply project for Algeria

Supplying water to drier areas in Algeria

In the middle of 2013, the Belgian KSB subsidiary, KSB Service Belgium S.A./N.V., won a contract to equip a new pumping station for the Athmania project with ten large water pumps.

Travelling via two intermediate stations, Oued Seguin and Ain Kercha, the water is transported from the abundantly filled Athmania reservoir to the Koudiat-Medouar and Ourkiss reservoirs which store smaller quantities of water. As the water serves to secure drinking water supply and irrigation of agricultural land, it is a blessing for the local population.

National Agency for Dams and Transfers ANBT in Algeria

The customer is the National Agency for Dams and Transfers (ANBT / Agence Nationale des Barrages et Transferts). It commissioned KSB to minimise the risk and optimise the implementation of one of the country’s largest hydraulic engineering projects.

KSB was awarded the contract for the Algerian water project not only because it has been active in Algeria for many decades, but also thanks to a track record of more than 37 years of successful hydraulic pumping station design. To date, KSB has equipped around 300 pumping stations which help secure the drinking water supply in Algeria. The success of the latest project continues this tradition.

Water supply for people and agriculture

In the past, Algeria has focused on making water available for increasing urban consumption. But in recent years water has been playing an increasingly important role in the irrigation of agricultural land.

The North African state set out to develop irrigation capacity for an area of 2 million hectares by 2020 – an area almost as large as the German state of Hessen. To achieve this, the plan was to make approximately 16 % of the volume currently used, i.e. around 1.2 billion cubic metres of water, available for irrigation.

A water project with 21 pumps and 3 dams

The Athmania project comprises two large individual projects. To pump water from the Athmania reservoir to the Koudiat-Medouar and Ourkiss reservoirs which store smaller quantities of water, it must be transported via two intermediate stations: Oued Seguin and Ain Kercha.

For the Oued Seguin pumping station, KSB supplied ten RDLO 700-980 volute casing pumps, each driven by a 1,810 kW electric motor. Running at full load, each of the pump set handles 2,025 litres of water per second at a head of 75 metres. To rule out the risk of corrosion, all impellers are made of stainless steel. The pump casings are made of nodular cast iron. Each of the ten units weighs around nine tonnes.

KSB supplied eleven RDLP 500-900 volute casing pumps for the Ain Kercha pumping station. Eight of these pumps transport water to the Medouar reservoir while the remaining three pumps convey the water to the Ourkiss reservoir.

The challenges were tackled successfully. KSB’s experience and know-how ensured that cooperation ran smoothly, leaving all parties very happy with the results.

Location:

Oued Athmania, Algeria

Company:

National Agency for Dams and Transfers ANBT

Applications:

Water supply

Project data:

10 x RDLO 700-980

Flow rate: 2.025 l/sec

Height: 75 m

Engine power 1.810 kW

11 x RDLO 500-900