The Southern Council announced in a statement on Friday that it had launched its call for tenders for "the demolition and transportation of the rubble of buildings destroyed, completely or partially, by Israeli bombings after Oct. 8, 2023, based on a percentage of the prices adopted by the prime minister," with the opening of bids to take place on Jan. 13, 2025.

Millions of tons of demolition waste are the result of the large-scale destruction caused by the Israeli army in its war against Hezbollah, from Oct. 8, 2023 to Nov. 27, 2024, the date on which the ceasefire between the two sides comes into effect, although it is not respected by the Israeli side.

The matter was raised during the exceptional Council of Ministers held in Sour on Dec. 7. For the treatment of demolition waste, the government has allocated LL 4,000 billion (about $44 million). The inventory of damage and the clearing of rubble in south Lebanon, one of the most affected regions, has been entrusted to the Southern Council, and in the other regions of the country to the High Relief Committee, by contract with the Khatib and Alami office. But the government statement remained vague on how this waste will be treated.

These wastes are likely, according to experts, to contain multiple pollutions such as those coming from chemicals from the bombing, risks inherent in the building itself or even biological risks. They should be sorted and recycled before they can be disposed of, but many environmentalists fear that this essential step will not be respected.

Terre-Liban denounces measures that worsen pollution

This fear is at the heart of a press release published Friday by the ecological association Terre-Liban, which attacks the aforementioned government decision (taken on Dec. 7) endorsing the directives of the Ministry of the Environment, published on Dec. 5. In this document, the ministry effectively recommends moving the tons of debris to disused quarries, attaching a list of 1,800 degraded sites, on public or private land.

"These sites are ecologically vulnerable par excellence; disposing of demolition waste containing a mixture of inert and polluted components during the winter season risks infiltration of polluted water into the soil and, as a result, pollution of the water table," the press release emphasizes. The text recalls that this water is mainly used as drinking water and for irrigation.

The association also denounces the fact that the ministry's document mentions "public spaces" where to dispose of this waste, in case it is not possible to use all public and private quarries.

"What public spaces is the ministry talking about? Would it be, once again, maritime public spaces? Haven't we filled in the sea enough? Don't we have enough air pollution from the war to add water pollution?," the text said.