A true ordeal is that endured by the inhabitants of the Hay Najah district in Sidi Maârouf. Hundreds of families found themselves, overnight, surrounded by factories that had taken up residence in the district. Over time, the majority of these factories modified their manufacturing processes in order to mitigate the pollution they produce (lengthening chimneys in height, using propane as fuel instead of highly polluting fuel oil, etc.). But for a few years now, a garment factory specializing in hosiery had set up just opposite the Hay Najah residential area. It would seem that the factory in question still uses fuel oil as fuel. According to the local residents, once the chimney is active, it becomes impossible to step outside. Worse, the homes are invaded by dense smoke and a foul odour reigns over the entire district. Consequently, some residents have applied plastic to their windows, just to prevent the smoke from invading their homes. "Since the installation of the CIB company (Compagnie Industrielle de Bonneterie, ed.), even with the windows closed, the odours infiltrate the house and cause us great harm. Similarly, black particles settle on the floor, the walls, the kitchen..." explains a resident of the district. Faced with this observation, the inhabitants have shown solidarity and signed petitions denouncing what they are enduring because of the polluting smoke. The petitions in question were corroborated by complaints made to the prefecture of the Aïn Chock districts. But the situation remains unchanged. "Nearly a year after the installation of this factory, my 10-year-old son started having respiratory complications. The doctor explained to me that he developed asthma because of the continuous inhalation of these toxic substances contained in the smoke," emphasizes this mother.

According to a waiter in a nearby café, as soon as the chimney starts up, "all the customers who are on the terrace rush inside where we lock ourselves in while waiting for it to stop. This can last 15 minutes as it can last more than an hour." The owners of the surrounding snack bars are also worried about what they serve their customers, for fear that the food might be soiled by the discharges in question. Consistent testimonies report black particles that infiltrate through the windows. "I find them on the floor and everywhere in the house. The furniture takes a real hit, my curtains end up in a lamentable state and remain difficult to wash because of a greasy substance that settles on them. The smoke that comes out of the factory causes us pain in the nose, throat, and eyes," explains another mother. For the head of a nearby company, the smoke released by the factory in question causes him double harm. "First, all the windows of my company have been sealed. Furthermore, my workers often fall ill. No later than last week, when the CIB boiler started up, one of my employees who was working in the courtyard almost suffocated; he was suddenly seized by incessant vomiting because of the pestilential odours. Every day that God makes, we sweep up large quantities of black particles," he indicates. Furthermore, contacted by telephone to gather their version of the facts, as well as on any possible steps taken by the company to put an end to this problem, the managers of the CIB company remained unreachable.

Air pollution represents a major environmental risk to health. The respiratory (short and long term) and cardiovascular health of a city's population depends directly on the level of air pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that indoor air pollution is responsible for approximately 2 million premature deaths, mainly in developing countries. Practically half of these deaths are due to pneumonia in children under 5 years old. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants largely escapes individual control and requires public authorities to take the necessary measures.