Jumblat: Cabinet Convention Linked to Garbage Plan Implementation
Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on Sunday that PM Tammam Salam may not call for a cabinet session before the waste crisis plan kicks off and the dialogue sessions among rival parties resume.
“Prime Minister Tammam Salam is unlikely to call for a cabinet session before the implementation of the waste collection plan from the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and the start of the three-day national dialogue meetings aimed at addressing the presidential vacuum,” the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily quoted Jumblat.
“The waste collection plan is supposed to kick of on Wednesday,” the Progressive Socialist Party leader said referring to the plan of Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb that was announced in September to tackle the almost three-month long crisis.
Similarly in September, Speaker Nabih Berri launched national dialogue sessions among the rival political powers in an effort to ease tensions over a number of pending problems, most importantly the deadlock over the election of a new president and resolving the dispute over security appointments and promotions.
The dialogue sessions convened for three times and are scheduled to hold consecutive sessions on Oct. 6, 7 and 8, which will focus on the election of a new head of state.
However, on Tuesday the Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun threatened to suspend his party’s participation in the talks in the wake of media reports that he had agreed to a settlement over the appointments file.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/191257-jumblat-cabinet-convention-linked-to-garbage-plan-implementation
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Shehayyeb: Garbage Plan to Be Implemented with Agreement of Akkar, Bekaa, Naameh Residents
Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb stressed that efforts are ongoing to find solutions to the waste disposal crisis, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.
He told the daily: “The trash plan will be implemented after reaching an understanding the with the residents of Akkar, Bekaa, and Naameh.”
“There is no need to use force against protesters to reopen the Naameh landfill, or transport waste ro the Srar landfill, or dedicate more than a few regions in the Bekaa for such purposes,” he added.
“There are no problems in reopening the Naameh landfill for seven days and for resorting to dumping waste at the Sidon dumpsite,” the minister stated.
He revealed that the necessary decrees to dedicate funds for the implementation of his garbage plan have been signed.
Revenue from the mobile phone network will be used.
Shehayyeb had held talk on Friday with Prime Minister Tammam Salam on the latest efforts to reach a solution to the trash crisis.
Salam demanded “quick technical, legal and administrative measures” to facilitate the immediate implementation of an emergency waste management plan devised by Shehayyeb and a team of experts.
His recommendations were voiced during a broad meeting at the Grand Serail with Shehayyeb, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, the head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, and a group of consultants, lawyers, experts and contractors in charge of running garbage dumpsites.
Shehayyeb announced that another meeting will be held Monday at the Grand Serail to “assess the practical steps that are being implemented at the Srar site (in Akkar) and the possible steps at the al-Masnaa site” in the Bekaa.
The minister’s proposal calls for the reopening of the Naameh landfill whose closure on July 17 sparked the country’s unprecedented garbage crisis.
It also envisions converting two existing dumps, in Srar and the eastern border area of al-Masnaa, into “sanitary landfills” capable of receiving trash for more than a year.
After he announced his plan earlier this month, the civil society and local residents of Akkar, Naameh, Majdal Anjar, and Bourj Hammoud protested against the step.
Experts have urged the government to devise a comprehensive waste management solution that would include more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills.
Environmentalists fear the crisis could soon degenerate to the point where garbage as well as sewage will simply overflow into the sea from riverbeds as winter rains return.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/191181-shehayyeb-garbage-plan-to-be-implemented-with-agreement-of-akkar-bekaa-naameh-residents
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Salam Urges ‘Quick’ Measures for ‘Immediate’ Implementation of Waste Plan
Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday demanded “quick technical, legal and administrative measures” to facilitate the immediate implementation of an emergency waste management plan devised by Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb and a team of experts.
Salam’s recommendations were voiced during a broad meeting at the Grand Serail with Shehayyeb, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, the head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, and a group of consultants, lawyers, experts and contractors in charge of running garbage dumpsites.
“Salam opened the meeting by warning that the problem is not a regular problem and that it requires extraordinary and speedy measures,” said Shehayyeb after the meeting.
“After being briefed on the steps that have been taken by the ministers of agriculture and interior and the CDR chief, the premier called on the conferees to employ all the quick technical, legal and administrative measures that can facilitate the immediate implementation of the plan,” Shehayyeb added.
Participants stressed that “it is our duty to set up sanitary landfills to replace the existent random dumps, even if the two regions (Akkar and Bekaa) do not take in garbage from other areas,” said the minister.
“This is a final decision and I tell our people in Akkar and Bekaa that this step is in favor of their demands, knowing that sanitary landfills are a developmental model that every region needs instead of random dumps,” Shehayyeb noted.
He pointed out, however, that the plan will be implemented through “consultations with the partners who took part in devising this plan and the dignitaries and residents of the two regions.”
Shehayyeb also announced that another meeting will be held Monday at the Grand Serail to “assess the practical steps that are being implemented at the Srar site (in Akkar) and the possible steps at the al-Masnaa site” in the Bekaa.
Salam had held talks with Shehayyeb upon his return to Lebanon from the United States on Thursday on the latest efforts to resolve the trash disposal crisis, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.
Another meeting was held on Friday between Salam, Shehayyeb and Mashnouq.
Prior to the meetings with Salam, Shehayyeb had held bilateral talks with Mashnouq on the matter.
He had held discussions earlier this week with numerous officials to explain to them his proposal on ending the trash crisis that has plunged Lebanon in waste since July.
The minister’s proposal calls for the reopening of the Naameh landfill whose closure on July 17 sparked the country’s unprecedented garbage crisis.
It also envisions converting two existing dumps, in Srar and the eastern border area of al-Masnaa, into “sanitary landfills” capable of receiving trash for more than a year.
After he announced his plan earlier this month, the civil society and local residents of Akkar, Naameh, Majdal Anjar, and Bourj Hammoud protested against the step.
Experts have urged the government to devise a comprehensive waste management solution that would include more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills.
Environmentalists fear the crisis could soon degenerate to the point where garbage as well as sewage will simply overflow into the sea from riverbeds as winter rains return.
The health ministry has warned that garbage scattered by seasonal winds could also block Lebanon’s drainage system.
The trash crisis has sparked angry protests that initially focused on waste management but grew to encompass frustrations with water and electricity shortages and Lebanon’s chronically divided political class.
Campaigns like “You Stink” brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in unprecedented non-partisan and non-sectarian demonstrations against the entire political class.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/191083-salam-urges-quick-measures-for-immediate-implementation-of-waste-plan
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Akkar Municipal Delegation Accepts Turning Srar Dump into ‘Sanitary Landfill’
A delegation from several Akkar municipalities on Thursday held talks with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and announced its approval of government plans to turn an existing garbage dump in the Srar area into a so-called “sanitary landfill.”
“The municipalities announce their immediate approval of setting up a sanitary landfill in Akkar, because that means 33 random dumps would be shut down,” said the delegation in a statement after meeting Mashnouq in Beirut.
The minister “reassured the delegation and dissipated its concerns regarding possible environmental and public safety hazards, pledging that the random Srar dump will be turned into a sanitary landfill and that cooperation with the European Union will be sought during implementation,” the statement added.
It said the relevant municipalities and the civil society will be granted “the right to inspection and accountability.”
During the meeting with Mashnouq, the delegation hoped job opportunities pertaining to the implementation of the landfill project and the transfer of waste to the site will be “limited to the sons of the Akkar province.”
The minister for his part promised the delegation to help Akkar obtain developmental projects, such as “rescuing the al-Ostwan river from the pollution that is threatening the fish population, executing a sewer system project in al-Dreib, establishing 5 Lebanese University branches in Akkar, expanding the Arab Highway, and lighting the road from al-Abdeh to al-Abboudiyeh.”
On Wednesday, Akkar anti-trash activists organized a new sit-in to reject government plans to set up a sanitary garbage landfill Srar as part of a comprehensive waste management plan proposed by Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb and a team of experts.
The sit-in that was held in the Akkar town of Shir Hmayrin was organized by the “Akkar is Not a Dump” campaign and other activists amid a participation by a number of municipalities and mayors from the region.
“The towns and villages in the vicinity of the Srar landfill reject the dumping of additional quantities of garbage in this site, which has caused major environmental and health hazards,” a municipal chief said at the sit-in.
Speaking in the name of the “Akkar is Not a Dump” campaign, the activist Bernard Obeid stressed that “Akkar will not be a dump and Akkar’s sons will stand in the way of the trucks that will transport the garbage” from other regions.
He also declared an open-ended sit-in and pledged that all garbage trucks will be sent back to the areas they may come from, underlining that “it is unacceptable to put the burden of the garbage of entire Lebanon on Akkar’s shoulders.”
Shehayyeb’s plan calls for reopening the Naameh landfill, which was closed in mid-July, for seven days to dump the garbage that accumulated in random sites in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
It also envisions converting two existing dumps, in Srar and the eastern border area of al-Masnaa, into “sanitary landfills” capable of receiving trash for more than a year.
After he announced his plan earlier this month, the civil society and local residents of Akkar, Naameh, Majdal Anjar, and Bourj Hammoud protested against the step.
Experts have urged the government to devise a comprehensive waste management solution that would include more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills.
Environmentalists fear the crisis could soon degenerate to the point where garbage as well as sewage will simply overflow into the sea from riverbeds as winter rains return.
The health ministry has warned that garbage scattered by seasonal winds could also block Lebanon’s drainage system.
The trash crisis has sparked angry protests that initially focused on waste management but grew to encompass frustrations with water and electricity shortages and Lebanon’s chronically divided political class.
Campaigns like “You Stink” brought thousands of people into the streets in unprecedented non-partisan and non-sectarian demonstrations against the entire political class.
Y.R.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/191081-akkar-municipal-delegation-accepts-turning-srar-dump-into-sanitary-landfill
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Akkar Protesters Vow to Stand in Way of Waste Trucks
Akkar anti-trash activists organized a new sit-in on Wednesday to reject government plans to set up a so-called sanitary garbage landfill in the Akkar town of Srar.
The sit-in that was held in the Akkar town of Shir Hmayrin was organized by the “Akkar is Not a Dump” campaign and other activists amid a participation by a number of municipalities and mayors from the region.
“The towns and villages in the vicinity of the Srar landfill reject the dumping of additional quantities of garbage in this site, which has caused major environmental and health hazards,” a municipal chief said at the sit-in.
Speaking in the name of the “Akkar is Not a Dump” campaign, the activist Bernard Obeid stressed that “Akkar will not be a dump and Akkar’s sons will stand in the way of the trucks that will transport the garbage” from other regions.
He also declared an open-ended sit-in and pledged that all garbage trucks will be sent back to the areas they may come from, underlining that “it is unacceptable to put the burden of the garbage of entire Lebanon on Akkar’s shoulders.”
A plan devised by Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb and a team of experts calls for reopening the Naameh landfill, which was closed in mid-July, for seven days to dump the garbage that accumulated in random sites in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
It also envisions converting two existing dumps, in the northern Akkar area of Srar and the eastern border area of al-Masnaa, into “sanitary landfills” capable of receiving trash for more than a year.
After he announced his plan earlier this month, the civil society and local residents of Akkar, Naameh, Majdal Anjar, and Bourj Hammoud protested against the step.
Experts have urged the government to devise a comprehensive waste management solution that would include more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills.
Environmentalists fear the crisis could soon degenerate to the point where garbage as well as sewage will simply overflow into the sea from riverbeds as winter rains return.
The health ministry has warned that garbage scattered by seasonal winds could also block Lebanon’s drainage system.
The trash crisis has sparked angry protests that initially focused on waste management but grew to encompass frustrations with water and electricity shortages and Lebanon’s chronically divided political class.
Campaigns like “You Stink” brought thousands of people into the streets in unprecedented non-partisan and non-sectarian demonstrations against the entire political class.
Y.R.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/190976-akkar-protesters-vow-to-stand-in-way-of-waste-trucks
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Sarcastic Berri Says on the Verge of Joining Protests over Waste Crisis
Speaker Nabih Berri has mockingly said that he was on the verge of joining civil society activists in anti-government demonstrations sparked by the garbage crisis.
In remarks to his visitors, Berri said: “Let no one talk to me about any issue before we settle the waste crisis.”
“I am on the verge of resorting to the street to join the movements,” he said in reference to civil society groups that have been holding protests since the Naameh landfill that lies south of Beirut was closed in July.
“What we’re seeing is unacceptable. Where are we heading?” asked Berri, whose remarks were published in local newspapers on Wednesday.
“Is it possible for the state not to have a single piece of land to dump the waste there?” he wondered.
“Enough negotiations on the issue of garbage,” Berri said.
Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb, who has taken over the file from the environment minister, has been holding talks with civil society representatives and officials from different areas to get the approval on his waste management plan.
Earlier this month, the cabinet approved the plan under which the trash that has been dumped in makeshift areas would be moved to the Naameh landfill, which will open for only seven days, and fresh waste would be taken to four other locations in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the northern Akkar district, Bourj Hammoud near Beirut and a waste processing facility in the southern city of Sidon.
Shehayyeb said that the plan could be implemented within the next 24 hours.
He made the announcement following talks with environmentalists and civil society representatives that ended late Tuesday.
G.K.
D.A.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/190899-sarcastic-berri-says-on-the-verge-of-joining-protests-over-waste-crisis