Conflict Incident Report

Head of the Union of Beirut Port Employees Beshara al-Asmar declared on Tuesday an open strike at the port following the resumption of waste dumping near the premises after they were halted last week. “We were surprised to see today that the digging operations and waste dumping has resumed. Two bulldozers were brought into the area,” al-Asmar told Voice of Lebanon Radio (93.3). “We have informed the related authorities about the protest following the meeting of the Union's executive body. Head of the Port Authority Hassan Qoraytem has also been informed of the move,” he added. Last week, employees of the Port held a sit-in protesting an alleged government decision to use premises close to the port as a dump site. In July, a waste-management crisis swept through the capital and Mount Lebanon after the closure of the Naameh landfill that received trash from the said areas. Streets overflew with waste and the air filled with the smell of rotting garbage. Several options have been put forward to find a solution, and three companies have offered bids to manage Beirut's waste, although a landfill space has not been found yet.