Rubbish Chokes an Ancient City

An immense landfill that dumps its trash into the Mediterranean pollutes the coast of the ancient Phoenician port city in Lebanon. In fact, the dump is only a few meters from famous tourist sites, such as ancient vaulted souk and Phoenician temple. This rubbish has started 30 years ago and it has steadily grown every year, reaching the height of a four-storey building today. The total volume of the rubbish is estimated about 600,000 cubic meters.

In the early February 2008, a strong wind and a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale earthquake has sent 150 tons of rubbish into the sea. It covers the coral reefs and drives fishes and turtles away. Sometimes, these animals are choked to death because of plastic bags. Surprisingly, sea life within a 500 meters radius has vanished due to the toxin substances in the rubbish. This is a disaster for the local 250,000 people who depend on the sea for their livelihood.

The rubbish also contains chemical waste, industrial waste, and animal carcasses, which emit methane gas and release a nauseating odor. Methane gas is also a substance that causes the greenhouse effect. Illnesses such as asthma and problems with the nervous system are common due to the dump's stench. Some people have tried to solve the solution, but all were rejected by the government because of political crisis gripping Lebanon.

This is a very sad situation, the government actually should be responsible to sort this problem out. As you normally examine, government people only think about how to protect themselves in the time of crisis. I hope that the political crisis can cease and a solution can be put forward to resolve this problem.

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