According to available information, the family consists of a father, mother, and an infant who were poisoned after inhaling carbon monoxide gas emitted from the fireplace of their home. They were transferred to the mortuary department of the local hospital, after the intervention of the Civil Protection.
In official figures provided by the civil protection interests, 56 deaths and 737 rescued cases were recorded as a result of carbon monoxide suffocation during January of this year, amid a significant increase in the number of deaths compared to the same period last year, which witnessed the registration of 33 cases. death.
22 million gas detectors
The news of Algerian families who have been victims of gas suffocation inside homes since the beginning of the cold wave sounded the alarm, prompting the authorities to take a package of measures in an urgent step to reduce the tragedies of what has come to be called the “silent killer.”
As a step in the field, all procedures have been set to launch an international and national tender for the acquisition of 22 million indoor carbon monoxide detectors, in compliance with the directives of the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, during his presidency of a recent cabinet meeting.
As a result, it was decided to assign “Sonelgaz” (the National General Company for Electricity and Gas) to provide citizens’ homes free of charge with warning devices against leakages of this gas. .
Partnership agreements were also signed between the sectors of higher education and scientific research, energy and mines, as well as the knowledge economy, start-ups and small enterprises to establish a mixed company in the field of producing and manufacturing two gas leak alarm devices.
Who is behind the heating gas leak?
The stories of entire families who fell victim to suffocation from burning gases (carbon monoxide) inside homes in several regions of the country during the recent period stirred public opinion in Algeria, which asked about the real reasons behind these tragic accidents, and what is the way to stop the “toxins” of monoxide. Carbon from sneaking into the chests of citizens.
While many experts unanimously agreed that one of the main reasons behind the incidents of gas suffocation was the lack of awareness of the citizen due to non-compliance with safety procedures related to heating devices, proper technical stacking and continuous technical monitoring, in addition to the absence of ventilation inside homes.
Despite the intensification of awareness campaigns directed at citizens since the beginning of last November, by various state agencies, consumer protection associations and mass media, the numbers of victims of the “silent killer” continued to rise from day to day, whether in rural areas or cities.
Here, the head of the National Association for Consumer Protection “Al-Aman”, Hassan Munawwar, attributed the high numbers of these accidents to “the human factor and the absence of consumerism among many citizens.”
In an interview with “Sky News Arabia,” Munawar confirmed that “the awareness campaigns did not produce a fruitful result, and that it is time to implement these instructions regarding providing citizens’ homes with warning devices against leaks of this gas, especially since it still separates us from the end of winter, and this is to stop the number of victims.” “.
Central heating.. the alternative
In the same context, the head of the National Society for Consumer Protection “Al-Aman” expected that “with the embodiment of these gas detectors in homes, we will witness a decrease in the number of deaths,” but he called, on the other hand, for “the need to implement the central heating system in the next stage as a safe alternative.”
Meanwhile, Mustafa Zubdi, head of the Consumer Protection Association, presented, on his Facebook page, a set of proposals, calling on the authorities at the same time to take them into consideration.
The proposals consisted of four points:
- Abolition of all central heating taxes.
- Activate the consumer loan for these devices.
- Encouraging and facilitating the manufacture of these devices locally with specifications of high quality and international conformity.
- Providing the buildings under construction in all its forms with central heating.
According to some professionals who work in lining heating devices inside homes, their opinion is directive, as they call on citizens not to be complacent in the continuous technical monitoring of gas-powered devices.
“The lack of a culture of periodic monitoring of devices contributed to the high number of deaths due to gas leaks in homes,” said the head of the National Association of Algerian Lecturers, Abdallah Lakraa.
In an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Laraa warned citizens against relying on incompetent people to install gas appliances in their homes, highlighting that they are required to call specialized technicians when they feel any dangerous situation to repair or re-install new and safe devices.
As agreed by the rest of the participants, the President of the National Association of Algerian Lecturers emphasized that the human element has a major role in exacerbating the phenomenon of gas suffocation.
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