Free Flow

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ater

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ustainability

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network, which restricted the amount of water that

could be provided. Moreover, the bay of Algiers was

polluted: sewers weren’t maintained, and wastewater

pumping stations and treatment plants were either still

under construction or being renovated. This resulted in

only six per cent of wastewater being treated.

To deal with this situation, the Algerian public authori-

ties decided to implement a national water management

strategy. The objective was to improve the population’s

water supply, redevelop the sanitation system and encour-

age waste reduction, beginning with Algiers in 2006 and

then moving onto the country’s other main cities in 2008

–Oran, Constantine and Annaba. The Algerian authori-

ties were commited to maintaining water and sanitation

as public services. The tariff, fixed at national level, has

not been changed since 2006. Socially sustainable, it is

progressive to discourage wasting water and with a social

tariff addressing low-income households.

Suez Environnement and the Algerian state worked

closely together to evaluate the situation and develop

an action plan that met objectives. Water authorities,

including the Algérienne des Eaux (ADE) and the

Office National de l’Assainissement (ONA), created

the Société des Eaux et de l’Assainissement d’Alger

(SEAAL), the public Algerian company that would be

responsible for overseeing all water and wastewater

services across Algiers and Tipaza. To ensure SEAAL

could handle this responsibility, it was allocated

significant public funding and human resources. The

authorities also signed a five-and-a-half-year manage-

ment contract with Suez Environnement. In 2011, this

was renewed for a further five years (2011-2016).

dialogue around water and sanitation issues, holding regular

consultation meetings to improve corporate strategy and better

meet the expectations of society.

Sustainable water management

As part of its vision to promote access to water, sanitation, wastewa-

ter treatment and waste management in developing countries, Suez

Environnement has adopted a new approach to setting up contracts

with public authorities. To ensure more successful outcomes, the

group has developed more flexible contractual models, which allow

the parties involved to work on initiatives that are best suited to local

requirements and specifically meet local environmental challenges.

By allowing them to develop tools, processes and methodologies

that work specifically for local communities, they are more likely to

engender trust, promote awareness, transfer knowledge and achieve

long-term success.

Management contracts, such as those that Suez Environnement

has signed in Algiers, Algeria; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Johannesburg,

South Africa; and Amman, Jordan, clearly illustrate the development

of this new strategy. In short, it requires two parties to commit to a

precise action plan and then deliver on it. This involves setting up a

local training team to share Suez Environnement’s expertise, working

with the community to roll out a jointly-defined programme, ensur-

ing public investments are made in network modernisation and

expansion, and making a commitment to improve service quality.

The case of Algiers

Before 2006, the majority of the population in Algiers, around

3.2 million people, did not have reliable access to drinking water.

Sometimes running water was available for just a few hours per day

or a few days per week. The main causes of this were an insufficient

water supply, obsolete infrastructures and serious leaks in the water

By sharing its expertise with SEAAL workers, Suez Environnement is helping to

empower the Algerian company

One of Suez Environnement’s main objectives is to improve water

sanitation services

Image: Suez Environnement, Krista Boggs