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In an extremely serious issue related to the safety of citizens, a gas storage project in Bourj Hammoud is being passed amid noticeable media neglect, which is closely linked to the material capabilities and great influence used by the “Coral” company, owned by the Yameen family, to impose a reality that violates the law. This project entails significant security and environmental risks, and is being promoted in the media instead of holding those responsible for it accountable, making the lives of residents in a densely populated area hostage to interests and deals, which raises fundamental questions about the role of the media and the limits of accountability.
In this context, MP Melhem Riachi warned of the potential dangers of storing gas in residential areas, saying:
“Cooling and firefighting equipment are not enough in a densely populated area; @Coral needs to reconsider, before we say anything else.”
Riachi’s warning comes in light of growing concern about the storage of gas and oil derivatives in the Bourj Hammoud area, after five representatives addressed a parliamentary question to the government through the Presidency of the House of Representatives, demanding that the authorities assume their legal and security responsibilities regarding the serious violations in this file.
According to the parliamentary question signed by Representatives Paula Yacoubian, Halima Al-Qaqour, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Cynthia Zarazir, and Najat Saliba Aoun, the ongoing work to establish and expand gas storage facilities belonging to “The Coral Oil Company Limited S.A.L.” It takes place within a crowded residential area, with a storage capacity of approximately 12,000 cubic meters of gas, in addition to quantities of petroleum products, without fulfilling the legal conditions necessary for a license, and in clear violation of the applicable laws and regulations.
The representatives stressed that this project cannot be considered merely a technical expansion or a simple addition, but rather it is an independent and dangerous project that requires full licenses that are not legally available in the Bourj Hammoud area, especially with regard to the environmental impact study, and approvals from the Ministries of Environment and Industry, in addition to a Class A1 storage license, which is already prohibited in this area according to the approved urban classification.
The representatives also referred to Decree No. 9949/2013, which explicitly stipulated the removal of oil and gas facilities from the Bourj Hammoud area and their transfer outside populated areas, due to the great risks they pose to the population, considering that what is happening today is a complete reversal of this decree, by entrenching the danger instead of addressing it.
Observers believe that Riachi’s warning reinforces fears that these facilities will turn into a time bomb within one of the most densely populated areas, in the absence of safety conditions and safety zones, which once again puts the government before the test of implementation and accountability, and puts the media before an inevitable question: Is it its role to expose the dangers or to be complicit in silence… until the disaster strikes?
