Oued Athmania: A water supply project for Algeria

As Algeria is a predominantly arid country, water is a precious commodity and the transportation of water to two reservoirs which lack water means a blessing for the local population.

The project: Supplying water to drier areas in Algeria

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

The customer: National Agency for Dams and Transfers ANBT in Algeria

They 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.

The challenge: 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 meters of water, available for irrigation.

Transfer of water from the Athmania reservoir

The solution: 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 meters for a total flow of 16.200 l/s. 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.

Oued Seguin pumping station equipped with ten RDLO 700-980 volute casing pumps from KSB SE & Co. KGaA
© KSB SE & Co. KGaA

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 for a total flow of 6.210 l/s at 218 m while the remaining three pumps convey for a total flow of 3.350 l/s at 194 m 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.

Pumpstation Ain Kercha mit elf KSB Spiralgehäusepumpen vom Typ RDLP 500-900. — Ain Kercha pumping station equipped with eleven RDLP 500-900 volute casing pumps from KSB
© KSB SE & Co. KGaA

Figures I Data I Facts

Location: Oued Athmania, Algeria
Company: National Agency for Dams and Transfers ANBT
Applications: Water supply

Project data (Oued Seguin):
10 x RDLO 700-980
Fördermenge: 2.025 l/sec
Förderhöhe: 75 m
Motorleisung 1.810 kW