Tripoli covered by a black cloud of burning tires

A black cloud of pollution covered the city of Tripoli, capital of North Lebanon, on Saturday, caused by the open-air burning of hundreds of tires in the Beddawi area. According to our correspondent Michel Hallak, this practice is used to dispose of rubber in order to extract metals for resale.

Unidentified individuals burned hundreds of used tires stored in the locality of Beddawi, once again without the police managing to stop them. The suffocating pollution has troubled residents, who regularly complain about it, while previous attempts to deter the perpetrators have failed to put an end to the practice.

Pollution from the uncontrolled burning of rubber is extremely toxic. The recovery of copper and iron by burning waste and tires has become a common practice in the major city of North Lebanon. With each fire, foul odors spread throughout the city, making the air unbreathable for several hours, and even longer in neighborhoods near the burning sites.

Tripoli recouverte par un nuage noir de pneus incinérés