“Miserie, misery & a lot of thinking”: unrest among local residents due to closed gas pipeline
How long is still unclear. Residents also fear damage to their homes as a result of the works.
Unrest remains: “Miserie, misery & a lot of pondering”
The information meeting for the residents who are without gas could not allay the concerns. We were not allowed to know what was said inside, because it was a closed meeting and Knokke-Heist does not want prying eyes. The doors closed for us. But there is no good news about the gas supply, it turns out.
“That we will be without gas for at least another month, maybe even longer. And yes, that there is still a lot… We have a lot to look forward to. -What do you think? Bad. Well, what do you think? Bad, young. Misery, misery And ponder and act. They have to come and do all kinds of things. They have already had to take off four doors in my house. Tomorrow they have to take off two more. Then I wonder: will that ground stick up, or what is that?” a woman says.
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Municipality distributes electric fires
The work in the large construction pit and the unstable subsoil are causing tension on the old gas pipeline, so Fluvius considered it advisable to temporarily shut off the gas supply in Stadhuisstraat and Molenstraat as a precaution. But there are many questions and few answers.
“Is that something to do with the outdated gas installation, possibly with a contractor’s mistake, or is it just a megalomaniac project with a well far too deep that really shouldn’t have been allowed? They don’t answer that. I hope not. I hope everything has been done according to the rules, but it still worries me,” said one man.
Anyway, the municipality wants to help the residents to get through the period without gas, for example by distributing electric fires.
“Half and half solutions, hey”, responds a local resident. “Each family gets two fires. You won’t heat your house with that, hey. I have two children who each need a fire in their room, which means we will have to draw lots to see who gets the fire.”
The last word has not yet been said and the residents are not exactly reassured, partly because there is a fear that the major construction work could seriously damage houses.