The Oued Meraldene or Oued Merabtene, also called Oued Bourdine, is a river of
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
located in
Kabylia
Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is ...
within the framework of the
Province of Boumerdès
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provin ...
.
Presentation
The ''Meraldène'' stream is one of the main
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
of the
Boumerdès River
Boumerdès (; ; formerly ''Rocher Noir'') is the capital city of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It had a population of 15,000 in 1987 and 28,500 in 1998.
Boumerdès is a seaside city located in the north of ...
which is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
that finds its
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
.
This river takes its source in the heights of the current commune of
Beni Amrane
Beni Amrane is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 21,452.
Villages
The villages of the commune of ''Beni Amrane'' are:
History
French conquest
* Expedi ...
in the
Khachna Massif
The Khachna Range (, ''Jibal Khashna''; Berber ''Adrar n Kheshna'') is a mountain range of the Tell Atlas, part of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located in Kabylie, Algeria.
Geography
The ''Khachna'' is a massif made up of two differentiate ...
which shelters the peak of .
At an altitude of 590 meters above sea level near the villages of
Beni Khelifa
Beni Khelifa or Aït Khelifa is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, Isser River and Boumerdès River and the towns of Beni Amrane and Thénia
Thénia (), sometimes writ ...
and
Azela, ''Oued Meraldene'' is born to take its course on a
river bed
A streambed or stream bed is the bottom of a stream or river and is confined within a channel or the banks of the waterway. Usually, the bed does not contain terrestrial (land) vegetation and instead supports different types of aquatic vegeta ...
that juts out into the current town of
Thénia
Thénia (), sometimes written as Thenia, with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the chief town in the ''daïra'' of the same name, in the ''wilaya'' of Boumerdès, in northern Algeria. Historically, the name is a contraction of "Theniet Beni Aicha" ( ...
.
This area is rich in
water resource
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...
s thus feeds the
Oued
Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet ( ephemeral) riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portions of alluvial fans and e ...
which then traces its route between the villages of
Tabrahimt
Tabrahimt is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene and the town of Thenia in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boushaki
History
This village has experie ...
,
Meraldene
Meraldene or Merabtene is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, the Meraldene Dam and the town of Thénia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boushak ...
,
Gueddara
Gueddara is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and the town of Thenia in the ''Khachna'' mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boushaki
History
This village has expe ...
,
Soumâa
Soumâa or Thala Oufella is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River and Isser River, and also the town of Thenia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boush ...
,
Tizouighine
Tizouighine is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the nor ...
before reaching the plateau of the village
Louz.
Mouth
The ''Meraldene River'' rises in
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
especially during the winter and the ''Oued'' becomes impassable and dangerous, and causes floods that spread to the village of ''Louz'' beyond which it finds its
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
with the
Boumerdès River
Boumerdès (; ; formerly ''Rocher Noir'') is the capital city of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It had a population of 15,000 in 1987 and 28,500 in 1998.
Boumerdès is a seaside city located in the north of ...
which springs also from the heights of ''Beni Amrane'' and then flows into the ''Mediterranean''.
It is because of the ''floods'' and the rising waters of the two ''Oueds'' at the level of this ''mouth'' that a bridge was built on the ' to pass the water and not to block road traffic.
Dam
Given the profusion of water flowing through Oued Meraldene, a
hydraulic dam was built to store part of its flowing water.
The ''
Meraldene Dam
The Meraldene Dam, or Barrage Meraldene, is an embankment dam on the Meraldene River, located at southwest of Thénia in Boumerdès Province within Kabylia in Algeria.
Construction
The design of this project was entrusted to the engineer-arch ...
'' was built between 1911 and 1913 to provide answers to economic questions related to the continuous supply of drinking water, often so difficult to achieve.
This is how on 26 February 1913, this important dam was completed and inaugurated and on its final acceptance.
It is a hydraulic structure 14 meters high by 70 meters wide, blocking the
Meraldene Valley, and which can hold a water volume of 30,000 cubic meters.
This stored water was intended for supplying machine depots and railway workshops in the city of
Thénia
Thénia (), sometimes written as Thenia, with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the chief town in the ''daïra'' of the same name, in the ''wilaya'' of Boumerdès, in northern Algeria. Historically, the name is a contraction of "Theniet Beni Aicha" ( ...
concurrently with the direct intake 300 meters upstream.
The design of this important hydraulic structure made it possible to collect sufficient water for the industrial needs of the ''Thénia'' region.
Its final acceptance was made with the dam full, with all the conditions that were met such as the connection of electricity to operate its pumps.
Gallery
File:Dam of Meraldene, Barrage de Merabtene, Thenia, Kabylie.jpg, ''Meraldene Dam''
File:Col de Ténia.jpg, Meraldene Ravin
Meraldene or Merabtene is a village in the Boumerdès Province in Kabylie, Algeria.
Location
The village is surrounded by Meraldene River, the Meraldene Dam and the town of Thénia in the Khachna mountain range.
Zawiya
* Zawiyet Sidi Boushak ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of Algeria
This is a list of rivers in Algeria. This list is arranged west to east by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Atlantic Ocean
*Draa River
Mediterranean Sea
* Al-Hamiz Valley
* Tafna River
**Isser ...
*
Meraldene Dam
The Meraldene Dam, or Barrage Meraldene, is an embankment dam on the Meraldene River, located at southwest of Thénia in Boumerdès Province within Kabylia in Algeria.
Construction
The design of this project was entrusted to the engineer-arch ...
*
Boumerdès Valley
Boumerdes Valley is a watercourse that originates in the Khachna Mountains and flows through the Kabylia region, passing through Boumerdès Province and into the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Boumerdès.
Watercourse
Boumerdes Valley is ...
*
Khachna Massif
The Khachna Range (, ''Jibal Khashna''; Berber ''Adrar n Kheshna'') is a mountain range of the Tell Atlas, part of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located in Kabylie, Algeria.
Geography
The ''Khachna'' is a massif made up of two differentiate ...
*
Bouzegza Mountain
Bouzegza Mountain or Blue Mountain is a mountain peak in the Kheshna mountain range in the Atlas hill in Algeria, located in the municipality of Keddara in the district of Boudouaou District, Boudouaou in the Boumerdès Province, Boumerdès gover ...
*
*
External links
*
References
{{Rivers of Algeria
Rivers of Algeria
Boumerdès Province