Since December 16, residents of several neighborhoods in the commune of Aïn Smara, in the wilaya of Constantine, have been going through a particularly trying ordeal. An unexpected cut in the gas supply has plunged the population into a situation of distress in the middle of the winter season, a period when the cold is bitter and the need for heating is vital.
This dysfunction has disrupted the daily lives of hundreds of families, forcing them to deploy rudimentary means to protect themselves against the harsh weather. Multiplying layers of clothing, piling up blankets or resorting to additional heating devices, often precarious and dangerous, have become their only alternative.
In a context where the drop in temperatures is reaching critical levels, these solutions remain insufficient, and even dangerous, for the safety of homes. Children are bearing the brunt of the effects of this cut. From the first light of day, they have to brave the freezing cold to get to school, their bellies sometimes barely filled with a cold breakfast, due to a lack of gas to heat the meals. “It’s unbearable! Almost 24 hours without gas,” laments a resident, clearly exasperated. “We have not received any prior information either from Sonelgaz or from the local authorities. We are left to our fate.”
This lack of communication has sparked anger among residents, who vehemently denounce “the management considered to be faulty by the services concerned in such situations, where the customer is king”. “After the frequent power cuts in summer and winter, it is the turn of gas to fail us. We have had enough of this constant inconvenience,” says another resident. While some neighborhoods regained gas supply at the end of the day, others, notably residents of the Hraïcha Amar city, still remain deprived of this vital service in winter.
In this context of uncertainty, many people express their incomprehension at the lack of appropriate planning and consideration of social realities. “How can we deprive an entire municipality of gas without anticipating the consequences for the citizens?” asks a visibly exasperated sixty-year-old. And continued: “I don’t even know why it was cut. No one bothered to explain anything to us.”
To provide clarification, we contacted Ms. Wahiba Takhrist, communications manager at the Ali Mendjeli distribution directorate (DDAM). According to her, this cut was planned and communicated to local authorities and posted. She specifies that the suspension was due to connection work in the Sidi Romane industrial zone, located in the same town. “All management’s technical resources have been mobilized to complete this work as quickly as possible.
A large part of the town is already resupplied with gas, and only a few areas and a few houses are still waiting to be covered. We have mobilized 5 teams, each made up of 17 agents from our services in order to restore gas throughout the town,” she assured around noon yesterday. At the time of writing, dozens of homes still remain without gas.
