Objectives of the programme

The NWSAS program its initial phase (phaseI July1999 - December 2002) was aiming two objectives:

1. The development of a complete survey on the NWSAS water resources, that includes:
   • an integrated information system common to the three countries;
   • a numeric model of management whose scenarios are based on the horizon on the socioeconomic data of the year 2050.
     
     
2. The setting up of a Consultation Mechanism aiming to:
   • reinforce the consultation between the three countries;
   • to cause the reflection on the durability of this resource and the optimization of its exploitation in link with transfers inter-generations and the struggle against the desertification;
   • an actualization of the resource balance and the definition of an optimal scenario of abstraction on the horizon 2050, through a management numeric model
   • a permanent device of compilation, treatment and information management
   • procedures of information exchanges inter-country.

The NWSAS phase I programme, July 1999 - December 2002 was the object of a financing from the three cooperation partners : DDC Swiss - IFAD - FAO

At the end of this phase, was elaborated an integrated information system composed of:

• a system of assistance to the management of the Septentrional Sahara water (SAGESSE), that is a tool of assistance to the decision
• a common data base coming from the three countries and listing more than 7000 water points spread out through the basin.
• a Geographical Information System with geo-referenced data
• a multi-layered model at the basin scale permit:
  • to define exploitation scenarios at horizon 2050
  • to deepen the knowledge on the basin and define the complementary studies to improve the knowledge.
  • to identify the risks and determine the most vulnerable areas.

In parallel to the model, the project perfected a micro-model, a tool of which the simplicity and the instantaneity of global results are less complicated that the model's, which permit to arrange exercises meeting that ended in a consensus as to the resource protection and also to consensual scenarios.

Consultation Mechanism

The method of work chosen for the preparation of the mechanism consisted to elaborate all the reflection, ideas and propositions to the term of achieved expertises by the national consultants of each of the three countries. All these propositions were then discussed during the three national workshops respectively held in Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers in November 2002 and a regional workshop of synthesis that was held in Rome on 19-20 December 2002. At the term of discussions and proceedings that took place during the two days, participants approved the shape presented below concerning the implementation of the NWSAS Consultation Mechanism.

Thematic seminaries

Besides the three meetings of the Steering Committee, several thematic seminaries have been organized and saw, the presence of decision-makers and administrators as well as more of about hundred engineers.

documents production

Except for the steps reports and progress reports elaborated to the attention of the countries and cooperation partners, there was the production of five main documents.

• a volume composed of the synthesis about technical activities and project management
• a volume related to hydrogeology
• a volume concerning data base
• a volume about models and simulation results
• a volume of analyse and synthesis about elaborated planning by the three countries

The gotten results during the phase I permitted a strong capitalization of information and instituted a real dynamic of exchange between countries, resulting notably in a consensual process on the resources exploitation and the development durability in the basin.

However, the scale to which has been achieved the model, the allocated budget and the distributed time didn't permit to take in charge necessarily bound uncertainties to a survey of such span as well as the extra-hydraulic data in view to elaborate an integrated management at the scale of the basin. This is how the necessity to complete the survey imposed itself and whose program ensues:

• recommendation of technical and scientific committee, notably complementary studies concerning hydraulic aspect in order to consolidate the knowledge on the NWSAS;
  
• requests and recommendation from the countries and cooperation partners for the integration of socio economic and environmental data

It is on these bases that have been conceived the Phase II of the NWSAS project whose activities include six components (or Work Packages WP) as represented by the logical frame of the figure 3:

• WP10000-Hydraulic Component: activities of this component have for objective to perfect knowledge of the NWSAS while perfecting uncertainties raised during the phase I and then to improve the reliability of elaborate simulation results.
  
  
• WP20000-Socio-economic Component: the foreseen activities will have for result to complete the hydraulic result analysis, to value the actual situation, notably on the agricultural plan and to clear recommendations.
  
  
• WP30000-Environmental Component: it has for objective to identify all sources susceptible to weaken the resource and ecosystems.
  
  
• WP40000-information System Component: the objective is to strengthen acquirements of phase I while integrating data other than hydraulic and to define administration and anchorage modes of the information system as well as the project Steering Committee and cooperation partners according to the specific modalities.
  
  
• WP50000-Consultation Mechanism Component: results of the four previous components will come to reinforce the main activity and at the same time the final objective of the project that represents the Consultation Mechanism.
  
  
• WP60000-Monitoring-evaluation Component: this component will be assured by the OSS concerning the administrative management of the project.

The NWSAS phase II is financed by three cooperation partners:

• DDC-SWISS
• FEM-PNUE
• FFEM-FRANCE