A month since the blasts Beirut remains in the throes of health and environmental disaster
Contamination from hazardous chemicals, landfill sites at capacity, and water pollution, are among the most urgent challenges faced by the Lebanese authorities and UN teams tackling the huge task of clearing up Beirut, following the massive explosion in the city’s port on 4 August.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Jihan Seoud, Energy and Environment Program Manager at the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Lebanon office, described the impact of the explosion as a major concern, particularly as Beirut’s environment was already “in a dismal state” before the disaster.
Thousands of tonnes of waste
The destruction of the Port of Beirut has created up to 800,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste in the city said Ms. Seoud, and it is likely to contain hazardous chemicals, given the types of material known to be normally stored there, such as pesticides, pharmaceutical products, industrial chemicals, lead from vehicles, and various types of heavy metals.
The chemicals can damage health, through direct exposure, or soil and water contamination, said Ms. Seoud, adding that, although air pollution from the blast is currently considered to be limited, chemical contamination of particles scattered by the explosion may become airborne again, and could pose a new public health threat.
Cleanup teams have already started work on debris waste from outside the port; cleaning, sorting and recycling the waste to the extent possible: concrete and stones, for example, can be crushed into smaller sizes and reused in paving sidewalks or asphalting roads.
However, Beirut’s waste management systems are now at breaking point, with one of the two plants serving the city, severely damaged in the blast, as more goes directly to landfill sites, one of which is nearly full. Ms. Seoud told reporters that the city could be facing another municipal solid waste crisis soon if this issue is not resolved.
Much more is needed, and fast
On Monday, the World Bank issued a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, which flagged many of the concerns outlined by Ms, Seoud, and urged the authorities to rebuild the city in a transparent, inclusive and accountable manner.
The reconstruction, said the energy expert, also needs to be mindful of the environment, and take into consideration elements such as solar power, energy efficiency measures, and climate-resilient building designs.
The cost of cleaning up the environmental degradation resulting from the explosion has been estimated by UNDP at over $100 million, which comes on top of the country’s existing environmental cleanup costs, estimated at $2.35 billion by UNDP in 2018.
So far, only a small proportion of the necessary relief funding has been secured from donors. “Much more is needed”, said Ms. Soued, “and fast”.
Spectre of food shortage stares Lebanon
On Sunday, August 30, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) warned that “More than half of the country’s population is at risk of failing to access their basic food needs by the year’s end.”
Earlier this month, ESCWA said more than 55 percent of the Lebanese are “trapped in poverty and struggling for bare necessities”.
ESCWA executive secretary Rola Dashti called on Lebanon’s government to prioritise the rebuilding of silos at the Beirut port, the country’s largest grain storage, in order to avert food shortages.
Water shortages compound desperate situation
At the same time the risk of water-borne diseases has been rising in Beirut, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned, calling for urgent action to ensure families and responders have access to safe water and sanitation.
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, it is more critical than ever to ensure that children and families whose lives were turned upside down by the explosion have access to safe water and sanitation,” said Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF Lebanon Representative.
When communities don’t have access to this critical necessity, the risk of water-borne diseases, as well as COVID-19, can skyrocket,” she added.
The situation is particularly distressing for some 300,000 people – including around 100,000 children – whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the blast.
Though public water sustained only minor damage and remains mostly functional, the explosion cut off more than one hundred buildings from the water supply network and damaged the water systems in over 500 others. This compounded an already precarious situation in terms of access to safe water and sanitation in the greater Beirut.
UNICEF responds
In the immediate aftermath of the 4 August explosion, UNICEF along with partners and water authorities assessed the damage to water infrastructure and began responding to pressing needs, supporting repairs where needed.
UNICEF and partners also reconnected over one hundred buildings to the public water system and installed 570 water tanks in damaged ones, trucked water for households, provided water to first responders, and distributed over 4,300 hygiene and 620 baby kits to affected families.
UNICEF is also providing training and resources to equip thousands of young people across Lebanon with the skills they need to help rebuild their country, including training on repairs and maintenance of critical water and sanitation infrastructure.
Ensuring Covid-19 “washing hands” protection
Making sure communities can wash hands with soap and safe water is also vital to protect against coronavirus.
“One of our immediate priorities was ensuring that children and families affected, as well as critical frontline responders, had access to safe water,” said Ms. Mokuo, adding:
“Working with the relevant authorities and our partners we’ve been able to reach more than 6,650 children and their families, but there is so much more to do, and time is of the essence.
On August 4, Lebanon, already reeling under an economic crisis suffered two huge explosions when ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port accidentally blew up, killing 188 people and shattering the city and it’s fragile economy.
