The Lebanese Real Estate Corporation issued a strongly worded statement, warning of “the serious repercussions of the accumulation of waste in streets and neighborhoods as a result of the cleaning workers’ strike, and the resulting severe environmental and economic damage.”
The corporation confirmed in its statement that “the continuation of this situation, especially with rainfall, may lead to the return of waste to block drains and waterways,” which increases the severity of the threats facing the safety of citizens and their property.
The corporation called on all relevant parties to “find a quick and radical solution to this crisis, in order to avoid exacerbating the risks and to preserve public safety and property.”
This warning comes amid a renewed waste crisis that has plagued Lebanon for years, which is mostly attributed to the continuous strikes carried out by cleaning workers, in addition to the ongoing financial disputes between municipalities and contracting companies, as well as the lack of permanent solutions for solid waste management. In previous periods, similar crises led to the accumulation of waste on the roads for long periods, which caused serious health and environmental problems, especially with the rainfall that led to the blockage of water drainage channels and flooding in a number of areas, amid continuous warnings of a high economic and environmental cost if the temporary handling of the crisis continues.
