HIBAPRESS – Mohamed Zerriouh
Following the recent journalistic article that highlighted the phenomenon of waste proliferation and foul odors in the Taouima neighborhood of Nador, and the widespread discontent it has caused among residents and local stakeholders, our newspaper contacted a prominent official within the "Union of Municipalities of Nador" to convey the public's sentiment and obtain necessary clarifications regarding this worrying environmental situation.
In response to this issue, the aforementioned official confirmed that the institution's departments and the company responsible for managing the sanitation sector are making strenuous and continuous efforts to clean the mentioned neighborhood as soon as possible. However, he attributed a large part of the exacerbation of this phenomenon to the behavior of some citizens, pointing out that residents sometimes resort to throwing waste outside the designated containers, in addition to not adhering to the specified waste collection times.
Conversely, the catastrophic environmental situation in the Taouima neighborhood has sparked a wave of overwhelming discontent, especially after the waste began to pile up in front of educational institutions in the area. This accumulated waste and the foul odors bordering the school grounds have caused clear disruption to the normal conduct of studies, in addition to cases of respiratory allergies and shortness of breath among students, turning the daily lives of students and educational staff into real suffering.
In a related context, informed sources revealed to HIBAPRESS disturbing information stating that the official in charge of monitoring and overseeing the sanitation sector at the "Union of Municipalities" has left his duties on administrative leave. The same sources indicated that this leave was to allow the aforementioned official to join the head of the institution to work as the director of his election campaign and manage its stages, thus dedicating himself to political work at the expense of the vital and pressing issues of citizens.
These details have caused severe resentment among the residents of the Taouima neighborhood, who have ardently and regretfully questioned how an official of an institution responsible for a sensitive sector affecting citizens' health and the environment could abandon his duties under ambiguous circumstances to lead an election campaign. This situation raises more than one question about the seriousness of linking responsibility with accountability and puts the management of public facilities in the region to a real test in the face of conflicting priorities between the public interest and electoral calculations.
Given the convergence of this information, the residents of the Taouima neighborhood in Nador remain hostages to daily suffering that burdens them, awaiting the actual implementation of official promises. While the institution asserts its commitment to intervene, it remains imperative for the supervisory authorities to intervene immediately and urgently to remove the environmental harm from the vicinity of educational institutions, and to move beyond justifications, to protect the health of students and the young generation, and to restore the right to a healthy and clean environment.
