Anti-shale gas exploitation protests continue in Algeria

Protests have continued in Algerian Tamenrasset for the tenth day in a row against the government's decision to start developing shale gas projects.
Algerian citizens in the desert areas of Ain Salah and Tamenrasset have been staging general strikes and peaceful marches in a bid to force the government to stop the shale gas drilling operations.
Activists who called for the protests say the exploitation of this non conventional energy will have nefarious damage on the health of local residents and the environment.
In June, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gave the government the green light to start the exploitation of shale gas.
He also ordered the related agencies to make sure that the drilling would not have impact on water resources and the environment.
Algeria has the third-largest estimated shale gas reserves in the world, after China and Argentina.