The Daily Star - Sidon residents dump garbage on streets - April 9, 2011

April 09, 2011 12:00 AM

By Mohammed Zaatari

The Daily Star

SIDON: Angry residents of areas around Sidon left their garbage in the streets after the town’s municipality shut down its dump, which reached full capacity two months ago, in the absence of alternative dumping locations. With the city’s dump exceeding its full capacity, concerned parties have failed so far to reach an agreement to start operations at a solid waste treatment plant in Sinnik. As of Friday, negotiations between municipalities and the IBC firm, which owns the Sinnik plant, failed to make progress over the price of processing one ton of waste, a prerequisite for starting operations at the facility. Residents of Sidon’s neighboring areas expressed their anger about the accumulation of garbage in their neighborhoods, near their homes and below their windows, as protesters marched in Hilaliyeh demanding a solution to the waste crisis. Meanwhile, residents of Haret Saida piled up waste at the town’s main entrances to block traffic. Trucks from the Haret Saida municipality were used to dump the garbage. Haret Saida Mayor Samih Zein said the action was in line with the people’s democratic right to protest peacefully against unfulfilled promises to put an end to the trash crisis. “We face an environmental catastrophe while some reside in palaces, neglecting their responsibilities,” the mayor said. Neighborhoods were pervaded by foul smells emanating from dumpsters, which were filled with remains from butcher shops and leftovers from grocery stores. Intensified discussions aimed at finding a solution to the crisis which took place between Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal led to the Greek Catholic patriarchate’s approval for the temporary reopening of a dump in the village of Abra. The dump is located on a plot of land owned by the patriarchate on the outskirts of the town. Berri met Friday with Sidon mayor Mohammad Saudi to discuss the mounting crisis. – The Daily Star