Runoff evolution in Macta basin (Northwest of Algeria)

In Algeria, the climate change in recent decades has a negative impact on water resources. The goal of this study is to determine the influence of these hazards on surface water resources in the basin of Macta (Northwest of Algeria). The study of climatic pulsations is implemented from the climate coefficient changes and its moving averages over 3 years. Variations of this coefficient based on years, for the period 1949–1973, show an alternation of wet and dry years. Starting from 1973, a very dry period of more than 20 years was installed in the basin, with deficits ranging from 22% to 72%. The consequences of the surface water deficit can damage the environmental balance and consequently affect the various human activities that are directly or indirectly related to the use of these resources.