Lebanese environmentalists sounded the alarm over the harms of the Costa Brava waste landfill, due to the leakage of gas that could reach the airport and threaten the safety of aviation.
The Alliance of Lawyers Against Corruption and Green Globe held a joint news conference on Wednesday, under the title of, “The Costa Brava waste crisis from the source to the landfill”, where they presented the findings of their study on the effects of the landfill on its surrounding environment.
Samir Skaff, the head of Green Globe, said that while maritime landfills should be initially rejected, it was necessary to deal with the de facto situation by introducing effective and viable solutions to resolve the waste crisis instead of expanding the landfills.
A video was screened, showing the severity of damage to the sea through the layers of microbial mats due to massive pollution.
The head of the Professional Divers Association and Maritime Expert Mohammed al-Sarji said the leakage of methane and carbon dioxide as a result of the decomposition of waste from many areas under water was likely to reach the airport’s airspace and seriously threaten aviation safety.
Lawyer Cynthia Hamawi presented a summary of the Costa Brava’s legal file, followed by a speech by lawyer Rami Alayq from the Alliance of Lawyers Against Corruption, in which held Lebanese government and the Council for Development and Reconstruction responsible for the crisis, especially after a recent decision to expand the landfills.
