Snow falls in Algerian desert for 1st time in 11 years

By Hassan Jibril

ALGIERS, Algeria (AA) - The Algerian desert is witnessing rare snowfall in regions in the west of the country.

Videos and photos of areas in Bechar province shared on Tuesday on Facebook showed the desert and sand dunes covered with snow for the first time in 11 years.

For the first time since 2012, snow fell in the Beni Ounif region of Bechar, near the border with Morocco, according to local media.

On Monday evening, the Meteorological Office issued alerts of the snowfall in areas 800-1,000 meters (2,625-3,280 feet) above sea level.

The country's northern provinces have also been witnessing heavy snow and rainfall for days, cutting off roads, isolating villages and cities, and causing disturbances in air traffic at several airports further east.

For at least three years, Algeria has been experiencing a period of drought, which caused a decline in water levels in dams and affected groundwater reserves, according to authorities.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat