Health Minister Wael Abou Faour issued a warning on Monday, saying “Lebanon is on the verge of an
ecological disaster” due to the ongoing waste crisis, noting that all the political parties are aware of this.
In a press conference, Abou Faour considered all options presented to resolve the issue at hand are at a deadlock, stressing that waste exportation is currently out of the question “since conditions were not met.”
He also highlighted the need to set up an emergency committee that includes experts from the Health, Economy, Environment, Interior, Agriculture and Industry Ministries to deal with this threat, adding “the [Health] Ministry will issue directives to enhance surveillance in this regard.”
The Minister called on the cabinet to take the needed procedures in a bid to remove trash from the streets, pending solutions to the problem.
Lebanon has been grappling with a waste crisis following the July 17 closure of the Naameh landfill. The cabinet pledged last year that the said landfill would be shut down and an alternative site would be found, however failed to live up to its promises.
The piles of garbage rotting in the summer heat triggered nationwide outrage and serious health warnings.
To get rid of waste, frustrated residents set fire to dumpsters and trash containers, further polluting the hot and humid air.
The mess is a stark reminder of the cabinet crisis afflicting Lebanon, where politicians divided by local and regional crises have even failed to agree on where to dump the capital city's rubbish.