Oil spill threatens to be ecological disaster for Lebanon coast

The public beach in Mansourieh is a sliver of paradise in a country wrought by crisis.

In previous summers, the sand would be packed with families, and children would swim in the crystal blue water with fish and turtles gliding at their feet.

The coronavirus lockdown put that on hold, but a new disaster is threatening to leave the image of paradise confined to memory.

Three days ago, tar began washing up on the beach, staining the sand in thick black lumps. It took several weeks and some unlucky wind for the oil to begin reaching Lebanon’s shores.

In early February, tar was reported washing up on beaches across 160 kilometres of Israel's coast, just south.

Tar is seen on the beach in the aftermath of an oil spill in the Mediterranean, in Tyre nature reserve, Lebanon. Reuters

A man shows tar on his hands in the aftermath of an oil spill in the Mediterranean, in Tyre nature reserve, Lebanon. Reuters

A six-month-old green sea turtle is cleaned from tar after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea at Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Centre, in Michmoret. AP Photo

A man walks along a beach in the aftermath of an oil spill in the Mediterranean, in Tyre nature reserve, Lebanon. Reuters

Tar is seen on the beach as people play beach racket in the aftermath of an oil spill in the Mediterranean, in Tyre nature reserve, Lebanon. Reuters

Other Fischzang cleans tar after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, in Michmoret, Israel. A disastrous oil spill has blackened most of the country's shoreline and reached beaches of neighboring Lebanon. The cleanup is expected to take months. AP Photo

A ladybug rests on tar covered rocks and shells after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, at Tel-Dor Nature Reserve, in Nahsholim, Israel. AP Photo

Tar is stuck on rocks after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, at Tel-Dor Nature Reserve, in Nahsholim, Israel. AP Photo

With strong currents, it was only a matter of time before the oil reached south Lebanon. Now locals say they are facing another crisis – an ecological one.

Israeli officials say this may be one of the area's worst such disasters in decades, and while Lebanon says it will lodge a complaint with the UN over the spill, for now there is little sign of a co-ordinated effort to clean up the oil – at least on this side of the border.

The conservation areas off the coast of south Lebanon are among the few ecological success stories in a country where much of the coastline is blighted by privatisation, construction and pollution.

Turtles nest on the beach and the water is a translucent turquoise – a long way from the filthy murk off that floats off the coast of Beirut.

Greenpeace region director Julien Jreissati has called on the government to “take immediate measures to assess the seriousness of the oil spill”.

And although tests have been carried out, the only sign of a response so far is a team of volunteers who rise early to beat the morning sun and pick up clumps of tar by hand.

In a nearby car park are crates full of the sandy clumps, which are melting in the midday sun.

Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry claims the spill occurred between February 6 and 10, but the source of the leak remains as murky as the waters.

Scientists and government officials admit they do not have a true idea how toxic the oil may be.

Israel’s tar-coated beaches scrubbed clean by volunteers

Israel closes beaches after tar washes up on Mediterranean shoreline

Yousseff Ndeaihli is one of those trying to clear the black patches from the beach.

As he stacks a third crate of the black mess, a call comes in from the municipality telling him to stop. It could be dangerous for him to handle.

An employee of the local municipality, Mr Ndeaihli is an engineer by trade, not a conservationist.

His only qualification is his desperation to stop yet another of the country’s spots of beauty from being ruined.

Mr Ndeaihli is using his expertise to clear up what he says is one of the last spots to which people can go to truly relax in Lebanon.

“For three days they have been trying to clean it but it’s impossible to clean it all,” he says.

“We have the coronavirus crisis, we have the economic crisis and the people have a lot of trouble.

“It’s easy to come to here without any troubles, to have a little rest in your life. This is the last place you can find that. So I am very sad.”

On Thursday, it appeared the local’s worst fears may be realised, as scores of dead turtles began washing up on beaches in the south.

Lebanon is often referred to a resilient nation, yet for those who have grown up with around the turtles and sandy beaches, there are nightmares that this may be one disaster too far for one of their few protected environmental sites.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

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Tips to stay safe during hot weather

Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.

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George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

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