Victim Compensation to Begin Next Week, Conclude by September 15
Prime Minister Seifi Gharib led a coordination meeting on Monday, joined by relevant ministers and wilaya governors via video conference. This meeting focused on the implementation of an emergency plan to address the aftermath of recent wildfires, ensuring the restoration of public services and enabling affected citizens to resume their daily lives. The session followed directives issued by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a meeting on Sunday, August 30, which specifically addressed the impact of fires across several central and eastern wilayas.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Gharib announced that the process of compensating citizens affected by the wildfires will begin next week and is scheduled to conclude before September 15. The compensation scheme is comprehensive, covering all types of damages incurred, irrespective of their scale, reinforcing the commitment to compensate even minor losses. This initiative aligns with the President's instructions to provide full support to those impacted.
The discussions also included a review of actions taken by various sectors to mitigate the material effects of the fires. These efforts specifically encompass the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure networks, including water, electricity, gas, and communications, to ensure their availability to residents in the affected regions. Furthermore, comprehensive assessments of all types of losses, from housing and household appliances to agricultural land, fruit trees, beehives, and livestock, have been conducted to facilitate accurate and timely support.
Concurrently, Minister of Interior, Local Collectivities and Urban Planning, Saïd Sayoud, convened a separate coordination meeting with governors, emphasizing the importance of accelerating damage assessment, simplifying administrative procedures, and promptly initiating compensation and housing rehabilitation measures. Both ministerial efforts underscored the necessity of flexible and effective engagement with citizens' concerns, prioritizing direct field support, and ensuring state institutions at both central and local levels remain fully mobilized to repair damages and restore normalcy within the stipulated deadlines, in line with presidential guidance.
