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January 14,
2005
Environmentalists call for greater government support
2004 saw continued pollution of Lebanon's air, sea and rivers by local industry
Sectarian squabbling blamed for ongoing deterioration of the environment
By Leila Hatoum
BEIRUT : While non-governmental organizations are working hard to save Lebanon 's green spaces and ensure a cleaner environment, they say official help is desperately needed to support such efforts. The environment in Lebanon continued to suffer in 2004 from violations that led to disfiguring the beauty of the country. Whether massive open dumpers, illegal dumping of wastes and chemicals from factories into the sea and rivers, or air pollution due to tampered with diesel fuel, the environment and the public continue to suffer. "Although last year saw positive steps to support our environment, many environmental issues remain stagnant, with no clear attempt from the Lebanese officials to move them forward toward a solution," said Greenpeace Mediterranean Communication Officer in Lebanon Basma Badran on Thursday. She explained that some "politicians took decisive decisions in 2004, which led to the start of a specialized Chemicals Inventory Committee that will be discovering and assessing the kinds of chemicals used in Lebanese industries." But Badran added that the Lebanese "have the right to know what they are being subjected to." Yet, "the committee didn't issue any results due to many events, including the change of the government," she said. "Former Environment Minister Fouad Boueiz and Greenpeace never got along well during 2004," said Badran, adding that the minister "didn't get along with most of the environmental organizations."
Sand and gravel quarries were banned in Lebanon following a government decision in 2003. However, similar to most decisions concerning environmental issues, the ban did not protect Lebanon's land reserves. Illegal sand and gravel quarries continued to operate following the decision, preventing environmentalists from protecting a disappearing land reserve. In June 2004, the president of Green Line (a non-governmental environment association), Salman Abbas, said during a news conference at the Press Federation that "some officials are raising environmental awareness campaigns concerning our polluted sea just to cover or pass decisions serving their own interests and that are more dangerous than pollution itself."
Also, on July 1, 2004, Najib Saab, publisher and editor in chief of Al-Biaa Wal-Tanmia (Environment and Development) magazine, wrote: "It can be said without hesitation that the environmental crisis in Lebanon is rooted in the weaknesses inherent in the country's political system." Saab explained that "issues such as regulating stone quarries, banning vehicles operating on prohibited diesel fuel ... are quickly turned into sectarian debates."
He added that "moving quarries from forest areas rich in biological diversity, which happen to be populated by a majority of Maronites, is considered a conspiracy to strip the Maronites of their right to exploit natural resources." According to Saab, as the majority of taxi owners and transport vehicles operating on diesel "are Shiites," opposition to regulating the sector "comes mainly from Shiite politicians. As for setting up landfills within the borders of certain provinces, this is viewed as a plot targeting specific sects." Water expert Nicholas Gharib previously told The Daily Star that the Lebanese groundwater "is polluted" with a high number of pesticides, used by farmers, as well as wastewater dumped in wells.
"Lebanon lacks a study showing the exact numbers for water pollution, but if one looks at the factors polluting the sea, one can easily say that seawater is highly polluted," he said.
Although the government is building several water treatment networks in different areas such as Sidon , Beirut , Tripoli and Zahle, in the meantime wastewater is released into the sea.
The sea is also polluted by the several dumps built on the coastline - notably in Sidon and Bourj Hammoud - where solid wastes are thrown directly into the sea. In addition, the Beirut slaughterhouse continues to pollute the sea in the absence of a composting plant that treats animal waste. Animal blood, skins and intestines are still thrown in the sea. On Oct. 14, 2004 an entire cow was found off the Manara shore in Beirut . It had been there for several days before any action was taken to remove it. Lebanese rivers also suffer from pollution.
In an interview with The Daily Star, Greenpeace's campaigner in Lebanon , Wael Hmaidan, said that " Beirut River , as many others, is highly polluted." Hmaidan added that Greenpeace had been protesting the river's pollution "for a long time." According to Hmaidan, pollution doesn't only come from house wastes and sewers, "but is also the by-product of chemicals and toxins dumped by various industrial factories alongside the riverbanks." He added that the highly dangerous chemicals are carried by the river to the sea and pose a danger to human as well as marine life. "There should be a toxic use and release inventory so that the public gets to know what kind of danger they are facing," he said.
However, in August 2004, Energy and Water Minister Ayoub Humayed announced that water pollution in Lebanon is not as dangerous as some claim. "The pollution here is organic and easy to be treated and there is no chemical and nuclear pollution. We can safely say that the Lebanese sea is much cleaner than the seas of other countries," he said. "On what studies is the minister basing his statement?" asked Hmaidan. "There are no studies conducted by the government to assess the pollution of the sea, except one done by Greenpeace in 1997, which shows that our sea suffers from serious pollution coming from heavy metals and chemicals thrown by the industries in the rivers, which flow into the sea." "Let the minister go swim in the Ouzai and then tell us if the sea is cleaner than other countries," said Green Line campaigner Firas Abi Ghanem. Badran explained that on the solid waste level, Greenpeace's collaboration with "around 80 environment-related associations has led to the national campaign to manage solid waste, which aims at demanding officials to find solutions for open dumpers and garbage incineration." She said that the aim is to stop acts of chaotic garbage burial or incineration, and for the country to abide by a "long-term plan that will eventually lead to a zero-percent waste. She explained that this plan "is based on suggestions and the help of experts, as well concerned ministries, to devise a strategy that allows by the end of a specific time limit for the transformation of waste into resources used in other sectors, thus reaching a zero percent waste end." Sidon has an infamous dump which is several meters high and has been building up for years. It was only recently that Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal donated $1 million for a project to remove the dump over the process of five years. According to Badran, "The new environment minister, Wi'am Wahab, has supported our vision against incinerating or dumping solid waste." She added that Wahab "has stated that he is against incineration of waste on various occasions;" a thing that Badran sees as a positive aspect in 2005. The Al-Biaa Wal-Tanmia magazine, along with Amideast, has started a new project named "Environment Hotline," which will allow people to call in and register complaints regarding environmental violations by telephone and via the Internet.