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Surface water pollution in the semiarid Setif region of Algeria Volume 10, issue 2, Juin 1999

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  • Page(s) : 137
  • Published in: 1999

The Setif region of Algeria will have to struggle to uphold its somewhat exaggerated pollution-free reputation for much longer. This study highlights the biological surface-water pollution that is having a serious environmental impact on this region. Untreated sewage and industrial effluents flow directly into Boussellam River. High 5-day BOD and COD levels, relative to Algerian standards, were noted at all tested sites. This contamination has caused several epidemics in recent years and reduced the number of plant species in Boussellam Wadi. The climatic situation is also unfavourable. The semiarid Mediterranean climate prevails in the region, with precipitation concentrated in the winter and spring, and drought in the summer and autumn - when runoff is at the lowest level. The combined effect of low water level and high temperature increases the concentration of water pollutants and the risk of epidemics.