Ergonomics of Date Palm Irrigation Work: Algerian Foggara as an Example

Abstract

The Foggara as a traditional irrigation method is still used in Algeria, especially in the western deserts (Touat, Gourara, and Tidikelt regions). Human work at the Foggara system can be a digging work, maintenance work, or distributive work. In this research, the maintenance work is studied with the aim of shedding some light on tasks the worker performs while maintaining the Foggara, how much effort the worker makes to maintain it and the body areas that are exposed to the greatest possible fatigue. To complete this research, data were collected from 37 Foggara maintenance workers using Interview, Borg scale, and the Nordic scale. It has been found that the major Foggara maintenance task was: clean and repair the Foggara, the effort required to maintain the Foggara is high and the workers are exposed to high levels of physical discomfort while doing the maintenance work.