Waste dump between Kfar Hazir and Chekka, in northern Lebanon burning on Aug. 22, 2024. (Credit: @GhayathYazbeck/X)
BEIRUT — A waste dump between Kfar Hazir and Chekka in northern Lebanon was burning and releasing toxic fumes, Lebanese Forces MP Ghayath Yazbeck for Batroun had announced on X on Thursday. Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin told L'Orient Today Friday that his ministry is working on a "sustainable solution" for the Koura landfill.
"The residents of Chekka were not able to sleep due to the foul odors and smoke. Temporary measures are no longer effective; we urgently need the approval of the National Waste Management Strategy. The health of the Lebanese people is at risk," Yazbeck said and tagged the caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin.
"We are tackling the solid waste sector through multiple reforms. The issue of open dumps, which has been for decades in some districts, is being addressed through the rehabilitation of sorting facilities that most of them stopped after 2019, and in equipping new sanitary landfills," Yassin told L'Orient Today.
He noted that in "Koura in particular we have closed a number of dumps and currently working with municipalities on a more sustainable solution."
Lebanon has faced recurring waste management crises due to inadequate systems, economic challenges and political issues. Like other parts of Lebanon, northern Lebanon has experienced inconsistent trash collection amid the ongoing economic crisis. The 2015 trash crisis, triggered by the closure of the Naameh landfill, led to widespread waste accumulation and public protests.