Five neighborhoods in the commune of Béchar located in Haï Salem were deprived of city gas at the beginning of the current week due to a leak from a city gas pipe crossing the wadi called Fayja, in Haï Salem, in north of the city.
The bursting of this pipe is due to work carried out in the wadi by a contractor who hit the gas pipe by a machine. Moreover, this rather narrow river was unable to withstand the torrential rains of last month which carried tree trunks causing the obstruction of the small nozzles thus facilitating the overflow of water on the bridges. This sudden breakdown of city gas caused inconvenience to the inhabitants of these cities. It occurred a stone's throw from the Sonatrach company's drumming center in a dense urban area. According to witnesses, the incident could have caused a gigantic fire with incalculable consequences. But the rapid intervention of Civil Protection was able to bring the fire under control. A source indicates that the energy installations of the Sonatrach company are still awaiting their transfer announced for more than a year to a more secure location at the northern exit of the town of Béchar towards the Oran road, in vain, a source tells us. resident of the neighborhood. A press release from the wilaya's gas and electricity distribution company was published to reassure the population deprived of city gas of supply during the day. However, local residents are demanding that when public works are launched, that there be the presence on site of Civil Protection services and above all coordination between state organizations and contractors holding public contracts, as required by a decree of the services of the wilaya fallen into oblivion.
