You are here
Conflict Incident Report
Lebanon fishermen and activists protested against dumping of waste in sea
Fishermen and activists held a sit-in on the road leading to the Burj Hammoud landfill, alleging garbage from the landfill is being dumped into the sea.
Since the dump opened, fishermen claim they have been unable to make a living. “There is no more fish in the sea because of the pollution. Up to Kaslik and Tabarja or down to Jiyyeh, there is no more fish,” said Wissam Francis, a fisherman in his 50s.
Fishermen have staged a number of protests over claims that the deconstruction of a local landfill site has led to the dumping of waste into the sea, endangering their trade and worrying environmental activists.
The presence of both a historic dump site and a new temporary trash site in Beirut’s Burj Hammoud area has concerned local activists who have long claimed that they contribute to increased water pollution.
After last year’s trash crisis in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, it has been decided to build a new landfill beside the old one, where 30% of the old dump will be landfilled. However, the fishermen are claiming that during the process of dismantling, the old site trash is being thrown into the sea.