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The present study is undertaken in the region of Guelma that is located in North-Eastern Algeria. Guelma’s agricultural plain is irrigated from the Seybouse ephemeral river (wadi). The latter collects the entire domestic and industrial wastewaters of the region that are discharged without prior treatment. Hence, the organic and biological or what so ever contributions to the wadi are capable of initiating a significant degradation of its waters’ quality and challenging their use for irrigation. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The interpretation of the results of three sampling campaigns for chemical and bacteriological analyzes was carried out in terms of the indices’ method (organic pollution index (OPI) and microbiological quality index (MQI)). The results were statistically assessed through the use of the principal component analysis (PCA). The OPI was calculated according to the method of Leclercq and Maquet (1987) whose principle is to classify the contents for the polluting elements into 5 classes each class corresponding to a given range for the considered parameter, and then to calculate the overall average class number for each sample. The MQI depends on the water concentrations in: the total coliforms, the fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci. One defines five classes of concentrations for each of these parameters. The MQI is again the overall mean of the numbers for the classes for every parameter.

The OPI reflects a moderate pollution for most sampling stations. The PCA indicates that the variables controlling salinity are mainly Cl⁻, Na⁺ and SO₄²⁻. In August 2016, El-Fedjoudj pumping station shows a very strong fecal contamination. According to the recommendations of World Health Organization (1989), waters from wadi Seybouse cannot be used for the irrigation of vegetable crops if they were to be consumed raw.

This study has an environment impact as it reveals the need to protect surface waters used for irrigation and therefore protect consumers of raw vegetables that are to be consumed uncooked.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the assessment of water resources in the Seybouse middle sub-basin. Analyses of water and various current uses are used to draw attention to the necessity of implementing water resources integrated management into a plan aiming at a rational exploitation.

Any sustainable management of water resources is closely dependent on the ability to accurately assess the quantity and quality of available water resources that are used as water supply for the population, agricultural production, industrial or energy. The analyzed and processed available data serve as database for integrated water resources management.

Analysis shows that the annual water supply is represented by 71 percent of the surface water resources and 29 percent of groundwater. The total volume of water used in the middle Seybouse basin is estimated at 36.22 hm3/yr. The predicted water needs are estimated to 79.19 hm3/yr in 2030. The groundwater of the Guelma alluvial aquifer exhibits a calcium chloride-facies general trend. The evolution of the chemical elements is related mainly to the geological nature of the reservoir lithologies. The heavy metals do not exhibit clear anomalies, but the surface water of the majority of streams is heavily infected with bacterial germs.

The obtained results show that the Seybouse middle sub-basin needs twice as much water by 2030 for the different uses. This requires a better management of water resources for a sustainable development in this specific region of Eastern Algeria.

This paper is devoted to the management of water resources in a specific region (the middle Seybouse basin) which constitutes an interesting example of considerations to be taken for a sustainable development.