Algeria's 'foggara' irrigation system: How farmers keep oases green

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00:00In the bowels of the earth, Abdelhamid finds his way.

00:04His task is to inspect the well that channels groundwater to the surface,

00:09an ancestral irrigation system known as the fogara.

00:14This is the largest and longest fogara in the wilaya of Timimoun in the Gourara region.

00:21This heritage that we have here was built by our ancestors nearly 800 years ago.

00:26They built these tunnels with their hands.

00:31In those days, the task was performed by slaves.

00:35Today, workers have to dig down to a depth up to 30 meters

00:39to remove the sand or earth by hand when a well's pipe is blocked.

00:43The water is then used to irrigate oases or fields as these farmers.

00:50This water comes from where it is collected,

00:53which is the source of division and distribution of the water.

00:56The water then flows into the orchard where the reservoir is filled.

01:00The farmer then takes his share of the water according to the agreed division.

01:05Each farmer receives the water that is sufficient for his orchard,

01:09depending on the surface area where the orchard is large or small.

01:15The know-how of the workers in these fogaras is inscribed on a list of intangible cultural heritage

01:21in need of urgent safeguarding.

01:23For now, the tradition carries on.

01:25For some, it's still a miracle.

01:27The fogara keeps oases growing in the middle of the desert.

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