EMWIS NFP: Success in facilitating access to water information in Algeria

EMWIS National Focal Point (NFP) of Algeria was formed by the Water General Directory of the Ministry of Infrastructure (Ministère de l'Equipement) in October 1999. The Hydrographical Basin Agency Constantinois-Seybousse-Mellegue (ABH-CSM) has been appointed by the Ministry of Infrastructure (Ministère de l'Equipement) which is now the Ministry of Water Resources- as the NFP of EMWIS in Algeria. Its mission is to:

• Develop and update the register hydraulic basin which it is responsible.
• Participate in the preparation of development master plans in terms of mobilization and allocation of water resources and sanitation.
• Encourage all users to a better use of water resources and pollution control.
• Finance projects within the scope of water conservation and the preservation of its quality.

February 2000: The NFP team members were nominated. Their role consists in designing and setting up a national information server, to provide available information in the working languages (English, French and Arabic), and to increase access to information.

The Algerian website is: www.semide.dz . It became operational on June 13, 2000.

NFP activities:

•      A first awareness and mobilization of the main actors in the water sector has been carried out through an information seminar held in April 2005 (more than 100 participants)
•      EMWIS National website is strongly coupled to the institutional site
•      Establishment of a network of key water to help disseminate information on the site

NFP evolution:
Since 2000, the website of EMWIS Algeria has progressed considerably. This website was available in three languages: Arabic, French and English since 2002. It contributes to the diffusion of information on water activities (seminars, conferences, meetings…) in Algeria and updating the Algerian legislation on water. It provides also "news” from water related articles collected in the daily press, at national and regional levels, in three versions: Arabic, English and French.
It provides Algerian bibliographic reference books and publications (thesis, dissertations, studies, journals…) collected from the various sources of information (institutes, schools, libraries…)


Development Perspectives:
o    Reinforcing the management of the national water portal as a source of information for all those involved or interested in the water sector at the national or international level.
o    Promoting the national expertise in the field of water resources management.
o    Providing easier access to knowledge and information from other Med countries.
o    Enhancing technical knowledge in the field of water resources management.
o    Participating in the definition of common formats for the exchange of information on water.


Relevant facts:
During the Regional workshop on "National water information systems & EMWIS", organised by EMWIS and its Algerian NFP in Algiers on 26-27 June 2006, the European Union and the Algerian Ministry of water resources, represented successively by EU Ambassador in Algiers Mr. Luis GUERRATO and the Minister Abdelmalek SELLAL, signed an agreement through which the EU gave 20 millions euros for implementing the national water information system (NWIS) in Algeria.

 
Some spotlights:
-    Some of the seminars in which the Algerian EMWIS NFP participated at the national level are:

• 27 - 28 June 2006, Algiers- Algeria : 6th Coordination seminar of the EMWIS National Focal Points
• 26 - 27 June 2006, Algiers- Algeria : Regional workshop on National water information systems -NWIS- and EMWIS -
• 19 March 2006, Constantine - Algeria: International seminar on «The Integrated Water Resource Management»
• 5 December 2005, Constantine- Algeria: "Water and irrigation, water and the industry"
• 9 July 2001, Algiers- Algeria EMWIS regional information seminar: Algrian EMWIS Focal Point

-    Number of press articles published in NFP website: 764 articles (in Arabic, French and English) up to December 2007
-    Number of information providers: 16 information sources and the main provider is: the Algerian Press Service.
-    Number of website registered visits: 596938 (during the period: 10/07/2002- 08/09/2007) – More than 600.000 up to now.
-    Number of portal pages consulted: 1.318.518
-    Average of files downloaded from the website: 65.713
-    Total of portal data transferred: 34,824.78 GB

Contact information	Mr. Khatim KHERRAZ, EMWIS NFP Coordinator in Algeria, Agence de Bassin Hydrographique Constantinois-Seybousse-Mellegue (email: abhcs@wissal.dz ; k_kherraz@hotmail.com) Phone: + 213 31 923 359 ; Fax: + 213 31 923 359
News type	Inbrief
File link	http://www.semide-dz.org
Source of information	EMWIS NFP in Algeria: The Hydrographical Basin Agency Constantinois-Seybousse-Mellegue (ABH-CSM)
Subject(s)	INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Relation	http://www.semide.net/countries/fol749974/country411475
Geographical coverage	Algeria
News date	26/02/2008
Working language(s)	ARABIC , ENGLISH , FRENCH

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