The study deals with the assessment of the solid transport in the wadi Mouillah watershed (Tafna, Algeria). Sediment transport is a complex phenomenon. The quantity of sediment transported is very important, and it fills in the reservoirs. The scale is out of proportion in semiarid areas. Algeria is one of the most affected countries by this phenomenon. A simple method, based on average discharges, easy to implement, has been developed for estimating the sediment yield using dou-ble correlation method (a first one between liquid discharge – solid concentration and a second one between solid flow – concentration). It is based on hydrometric data (liquid flow, concentrations and sediment discharges) with applications analysis on seasonal and annual scales for data’s of Sidi Belkheir station at the outlet of the wadi Mouillah watershed (North-West of Algeria). The obtained results by the application of this method are very encouraging because of the quite significant correlation coefficients found (≥59% for the first correlation and ≥88% for the second correlation). The water-shed of Mouillah produces between 43 730 and 56 410 Mg·y–1 as suspended sediment load against 48.56∙103 to 53.3∙103 m3·y–1 of liquid intake.

The dam of Beni Haroun is the largest in Algeria, and its transfer structures feed seven provinces (wilayas) in the east-ern part of Algeria. Due to its importance in the region, it has now become urgent to study its watershed as well as all the parameters that can influence the water and solid intakes that come into the dam. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is used to quantify the water yields and identify the vulnerable spots using two scenarios. The first one uses worldwide data (GlobCover and HWSD), and the second one employs remote sensing and digital soil mapping in order to determine the most suitable data to obtain the best results. The SWAT model can be used to reproduce the hydrological cycle within the watershed. Concerning the first scenario, during the calibration period, R2 was found between 0.45 and 0.69, and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficient was within the interval from 0.63 to 0.80; in the validation period, R2 lied between 0.47 and 0.59, and the NSE coefficient ranged from 0.58 to 0.64. As for the second scenario, during the calibration period, R2 was between 0.60 and 0.66, and the NSE coefficient was between 0.55 and 0.75; however, during the validation period, R2 was in the interval from 0.56 to 0.70, and the NSE coefficient within the range 0.64–0.70. These find-ings indicate that the data obtained using remote sensing and digital soil mapping provide a better representation of the wa-tershed and give a better hydrological modelling.

Soil loss is a major problem for watersheds management in semi-arid environments. The objective of the present study is to analyze the annual and seasonal patterns of suspended loads and quantify the specific sediment yields in a semi-arid environment of the Mazafran Watershed in central Algeria. The obtained information of water discharge and suspended sediment load, recorded during 19 years, was confronted with precipitation data in order to establish the relationships between theforcing agents and erosive processes. The specific sediment yield was estimated by assessing rating curve data under two types of identified responses. The obtained results allowedconfirming the seasonality on suspended sediment transport in the studied basin, which accounts for 56% of the total suspended sediment load estimated in winter. The mean annual suspended sediment is estimated at 17.52 Mg·ha–1·y–1. The results highlighted that the type 2 event dominates the production of sediment in the study area in comparison with type 1 event. The analysis of the variability of rainfall erosivity index showed that there is a strong correlation between the annual precipitation and modified Fournier index ( MFI), and a weak correlation with the monthly precipitation concentration index ( PCI). Moreover, the spatial distribution of the modified Fournier index at the basin scale showed the highest precipitation aggressiveness in the Southern part of the study region for both type of events, whereas the precipitation aggressiveness low to moderate in the remaining part of the study region.

The research aims to study the purification performance of a local and natural material as an input or as a biological filter for treating urban domestic wastewater. For this purpose, pozzolan was used as the biofiltration support that was provided from Beni Saf located in the North-West of Algeria. Tests were carried out with a specially modified pilot unit (TE900) for wastewater treatment over a period of four months.
To assess the efficiency of the treatment, two main parameters have been focused on – the height of the sprinkler filter (40 cm and 80 cm) and the flow rate (10, 16, and 25 dm ³∙h ^–1). Physicochemical and bacteriological analyses were carried out on raw wastewater and treated water. The obtained results show that the Beni Saf pozzolan-filled trickling filter eliminates a large fraction of the studied pollutants. The purification yields obtained are fairly encouraging; 98% for turbidity, 88% for suspended solids ( SS), 94% for chemical oxygen demand ( COD), and 98% for biological oxygen demand ( BOD ₅). As for bacterial indicators, the formation of biofilms has significantly reduced bacterial activity with a percentage of over 80%.
It can be concluded that the reduction of pollutant parameters clearly indicates the effectiveness of the treatment by this ecological process. Therefore, the use of local and natural materials for wastewater treatment can be a promising alternative based on sustainable environmental technologies and development.