Water safety plan at the Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria)

Since 1975, about 165,000 people from Western Sahara are living as refugees in the Sahara Desert near Tindouf (Algeria). Available water resources come from deep boreholes located up to tens of kilometers away from the settlements of the population, bulk water is treated in reverse osmosis plants an...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García, R., Blanco, R., Anta, J., Naves, A., Molinero, J.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/429186
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/429186
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Water-supply
sahara
refugees
water safety plan
water supply system management
geographic information system
Aigua -- Abastament
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària
Descripción
Sumario:Since 1975, about 165,000 people from Western Sahara are living as refugees in the Sahara Desert near Tindouf (Algeria). Available water resources come from deep boreholes located up to tens of kilometers away from the settlements of the population, bulk water is treated in reverse osmosis plants and by chlorination systems and, after, distributed through a network of taps and water tankers. Water supply system complexity and extreme conditions force the elaboration of a Water Safety Plan, aiming to guarantee appropriate provision and quality of water. The plan follows a risk assessment methodology and establishes control mechanisms to minimize risk impacts, which are compiled in six action protocols for infrastructures and water quality monitoring. As a novel contribution, the proposed methodology developed in the refugee camps incorporates besides the conventional water quality assessment concepts, the analysis of the volume of supplied water, linked with some water-washed diseases. Since the end of 2014, those protocols have begun to be applied obtaining results that have a positive effect on the life quality of refugees.