09 July 2005
CHOUF: An environmental nightmare became reality when a rock and marble plant dumped its waste in the Barouk River, causing the immediate death of fish and crops. The river provides thousands of cubic meters of water to the Chouf, Baabda and Aley. However, industrial dumping has filled the river with sediment, upsetting the owners of local farms, fisheries, and restaurants. Pollution appears to be concentrated around the Barouk and Safa springs, and the Imaratein valley.
In response to the illegal dumping, the Barouk Water Authority immediately contacted the factory's owners, urging them to prevent pollution from running into the river.
Meanwhile, the Nature Without Borders Association staged a protest against the plant. During a news conference, the association's president Mahmoud Ahmadieh, denounced the facility's impact on this environmentally sensitive and popular tourist area.
He also noted the serious public health risks associated with the plant: "A person who inhales about 100 cubic meters of industrial dust per day faces innumerable diseases, particularly cancer."
Ahmadieh explained that the dust also kills greenery, leading to deforestation. In this case, hundreds of square meters of plants and crops wilted after being irrigated with polluted water.
Ahmadieh urged the Council for Development and Reconstruction to take measures to alleviate the problem.
"Minimal standards are required to create industries that do not adversely affect health or the environment," he said, adding it is up to the CDR and relevant government ministries to examine plant.
He also highlighted the need for factory owners to run environmental impact studies before engaging in industrial projects.
"We urge all officials to equip their industries with the appropriate filters to immediately halt further pollution until more radical solutions are implemented," he said, calling for building an industrial area that would provide work for residents but also preserve the surrounding environment.
In a separate statement, environmental associations urged the concerned officials to find a solution to the problem. The agricultural cooperative in Barouk released a similar statement calling for an end to this environmental and health problem.
