Daewoo Engineering & Construction has been restoring the Oued El Harrach River in Algeria after winning the refurbishing project in June 2012.

The river, running through Algeria’s capital Algier, had been heavily polluted due to trash, soil pollution and industrial sewage.

The project was commissioned by the Algerian Ministry of Water Resources to a consortium of Algerian construction company Cosider and Daewoo E&C ― which has a 70 percent stake at 343 billion won ― making it the first overseas river restoration project by a Korean company.

It includes restoring clean river water by installing waste treatment facilities, as well as creating recreation areas alongside the river. The construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2015.

The Algerian government stated that a Korean company was chosen due to their experience and skills in river restoration. Its Ministry of Water Resources collaborated with the Korean Ministry of Environment for a joint master plan to restore the river.

A Daewoo E&C spokesperson said their work on the Oued El Harrach River had been well-received by the local authorities, landing them an additional contract for river basin maintenance in Algeria’s Constantine Province last November.

By Sang Youn-joo (sangyj@heraldcorp.com)