Why mobilization deserves its own plan
On a new site nothing produces until machines, operators, fuel, water and materials are in place. In the interior of Algeria the distance between a depot and a site can be several hundred kilometres, a site often has no access road, no platform and no water on day one, and the climate is harder than on the coast. Treating the start-up as a project of its own, with a short written sequence agreed with the client, generally avoids the idle weeks that cost the most.
The two landscapes this article covers are the High Plateaus, the wide steppe at roughly 1,000 metres between the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas, where Djelfa lies, and the northern Sahara beyond the Saharan Atlas, where Ghardaïa lies at about 500 metres in the M’zab valley. They share long distances and scarce water but differ in almost everything else.
Access tracks
Most sites in the interior are reached from a national road such as the RN1 by a track that has to be built or improved before heavy traffic can use it. On the plateaus the natural ground is often firm enough for a graded and compacted track of local material; the problems are crossings of small wadis and the softening of fine soils after winter rain. In the Sahara the problems are sand, whether loose dune sand that needs a stabilized layer or a hard hamada surface that is drivable but rough on tyres, and the width needed for semi-trailers to turn.
The access track is the first job of the bulldozer and the grader on arrival, and its cost should be in the start-up budget rather than discovered later.
Platforms, drainage and the wadi question
A platform for the camp, the workshop, the stockpiles and the plant is built by stripping, levelling, filling and compacting; a layer of crushed material on top keeps it usable in all weather. The one point that catches newcomers is drainage: both the steppe and the Sahara receive rare but violent rain, and dry wadis fill within hours. A platform set in or beside a wadi bed, however dry it looks in summer, is at risk. Check the signs of past floods, keep installations above them, and give the platform a fall and a ditch.
Water
Water is needed for compaction, for concrete, for dust control and for the camp, and in these regions it is rarely available from a network at the site. The usual solutions are tankering from the nearest town or a well drilled on or near the site, with storage in tanks or a basin. A well needs an authorization: since mid-2021 applications in Algeria go through a single window that involves the national hydraulic resources agency and the integrated water management agency before the wali signs the order, with a target processing time of one month and a validity of eighteen months for the works, which the regulation allows to be extended on justified grounds. The application should therefore be filed early, and tankering planned for the gap. The nature of the ground decides the drilling method and the depth, which vary strongly between the Djelfa syncline and the Saharan aquifers.
Aggregates and the supply radius
Aggregates are the heaviest material a site consumes, so the distance to the nearest plant drives the cost of every cubic metre of concrete and every layer of road. On the plateaus around Djelfa, quarries in limestone are relatively close; in the Sahara the nearest crushing plant may be far away and the first truck should be on the road before the site needs it. Settle the fractions, the quantities and the delivery rhythm with the supplier in the mobilization phase, and reserve space on the platform for stockpiles sized to the haulage distance.
Climate: what changes between the two regions
Orders of magnitude from public climate data; check the local station for a specific site.
| Factor | High Plateaus (Djelfa area) | Northern Sahara (Ghardaïa area) |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | Around 1,100 m | Around 500 m |
| Winter | Cold, frost and occasional snow; frozen ground in the morning | Cool nights, mild days |
| Summer | Hot, dry | Very hot; work hours shift to early morning and evening |
| Rain | A few hundred millimetres a year, mostly in winter and spring, sometimes violent | Very low annual totals but rare storms that flood wadis |
| Wind and dust | Strong winds on open steppe | Sand, dust, visibility and abrasion of machines |
| Consequences | Winter working days lost; bitumen and concrete temperature limits | Heat limits for asphalt and concrete; water storage; filters and cooling |
Camp, fuel and logistics on the RN1
The RN1 is the backbone of the interior, running from Algiers through Djelfa and Laghouat to Ghardaïa and on into the deep south. Fuel, food, accommodation and parts for a site east or west of it come along it, then over local roads or tracks. A mobilization plan names the nearest town for fuel and supplies, decides whether operators lodge in town or on site, provides for a workshop container and a first stock of filters and wear parts, and fixes who handles accommodation and meals. On remote sites the camp is itself a construction job, with water, sanitation, power and shade to build before the crew arrives.
The sequence we follow
Six steps, adapted to each project and agreed with the client before anything moves.
Site and scope review
Location, access, terrain, water, volumes and schedule are reviewed together, and the list of what must be ready on day one is written down.
Equipment and resource plan
Machine categories, operators and supplies are matched to the scope; the terms of the mobilization are agreed per project.
Transport
Machines are loaded on semi-trailers at the depot or moved from another site; convoy dates follow the access conditions and the road permits for exceptional loads.
Site opening
Clearing, the access track, platforms for equipment and installations, drainage and the first earthworks.
Materials and water
Aggregate supply starts, water is tankered and, where needed, a well is drilled with a truck-mounted rig once the authorization is in hand.
Production and follow-up
The machines work to plan until hand-over, or continue under a rental or subcontract agreement.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to mobilize equipment to a site in Algeria?
It depends on the distance from the depot, the access conditions and the scope of the first phase; transport, duration and operators are agreed per project. From Djelfa, sites on the High Plateaus and in the northern Sahara are generally reached by semi-trailer within a day once the convoy is ready.
How is water supplied to a construction site in the Sahara?
Usually by tankering from the nearest town until a well on or near the site is drilled and equipped, with storage in tanks or a basin. Drilling a well in Algeria requires an authorization issued by the wali after review through the single window created in 2021, so the application is filed as early as possible.
Are flash floods a real risk on desert construction sites?
Yes. Both the steppe and the Sahara receive rare but intense rain, and dry wadis can fill within hours, so camps, stockpiles and plant are placed above the marks of past floods and platforms are given a fall and a ditch.
Can road works continue in winter on the High Plateaus?
Partly. At around 1,100 metres, Djelfa has frost and occasional snow in winter, which stops asphalt paving and slows earthworks on frozen or saturated ground, so programmes on the plateaus generally plan the bituminous layers outside the cold months.
Can the machines stay on rental after the site is opened?
Yes. After mobilization the same machines can continue under a rental or leasing agreement, or the works can go on as a subcontract, on terms agreed per project.
How ETAHG can help
SARL ETAHG mobilizes its own machines from its depot in Djelfa to open new sites: clearing, access tracks, platforms, first earthworks, aggregate supply from its own quarry and crushing plant at Oued Sdeur near Aïn El Ibel, and water wells with its truck-mounted rig. See project mobilization for the service, equipment rental and leasing for what can stay on site afterwards, fine aggregate production and water well drilling.