The impact of actual water pricing in Algeria on the environmental dimension of sustainable development

The development of water sector in Algeria became more uneven as it has benefitted the drinking water sectorthan sanitation and urban areas than rural ones. But the questions, whether these effects have benefited equitablyall segments of the population? and is management of water services and sanitation in Algeria sustainable?remain open. Algeria, like other countries that signed the Millennium Declaration, is committed to achievingeight goals before 2015. One of these objectives is to ensure environmental sustainability. Environmentalconcerns were not really in the menu of policy development undertaken by Algeria since the 60s. But today ourcountry is experiencing a major ecological crisis that threatens environmental sustainability and public health.Therefore, water services and sanitation in Algeria, must meet these challenges. In this article we will discussonly the environmental objective of water development by taking the town of Souk-Ahras as an example.