Meraldene River

The Oued Meraldene or Oued Merabtene, also called Oued Bourdine, is a river of Algeria located in Kabylia within the framework of the Province of Boumerdès.

Presentation

The ''Meraldène'' stream is one of the main tributaries of the Boumerdès River which is a river that finds its mouth in the Mediterranean Sea.

This river takes its source in the heights of the current commune of Beni Amrane in the Khachna Massif which shelters the peak of .

At an altitude of 590 meters above sea level near the villages of Beni Khelifa and Azela, ''Oued Meraldene'' is born to take its course on a river bed that juts out into the current town of Thénia.

This area is rich in water resources thus feeds the Oued which then traces its route between the villages of Tabrahimt, Meraldene, Gueddara, Soumâa, Tizouighine before reaching the plateau of the village Louz.

Mouth

The ''Meraldene River'' rises in flood 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 with the Boumerdès River 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'' 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 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.
File:Plan de Thénia des Béni Aïcha dans le territoire des Khachna à l'est d'Alger.jpg, Khachna Massif

See also

* List of rivers of Algeria
* Meraldene Dam
* Khachna Massif
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External links

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References

{{Rivers of Algeria

Rivers of Algeria
Boumerdès Province