La gouvernance de l'Eau souterraine dans le Sahara algérien: enjeux, cadre légal et pratiques locales

Abstract

Since the discovery of its large water potential, the Sahara, where the oasis agriculture was in difficulty, has been considered as an opportunity for Algerian agriculture. In some regions, the combined effects of ambitious public policies and local dynamics have deeply changed the landscape of the Saharan oases. In Algeria, this is the case of the municipality of El Ghrous in the region of Biskra, where for 20 years, palm tree monoculture and tunnel greenhouses have dramatically expanded on the margins of traditional oases. In this article, we analyze one of the key factors that promote and threaten this agricultural expansion: the groundwater governance system. We focused on the role of the State and private actors, and their relationships. We analyzed more specifically water governance focusing on the interaction between the resource, farmers, public and private suppliers of water infrastructures and institutions regulating access to water and land. We show that the adaptability of this agriculture is mainly the result of a complex set of actors, at bilateral and collective levels, who manage to reconfigure and adapt the institutional framework of water governance.