THE BLACK SUBSTANCE THAT INVADED THE LEBANESE SHORES
Oily waste on Adloun’s beach. Photo: Zaynab Mayladan
“It is just the tip of the iceberg,” as volunteers who helped clean the beach of Adloun put it, expressing the challenge of collecting the oily waste that has been washing ashore on the Lebanese coasts since February of this year. Three months have passed since the disaster, and it is still met with coldness and indifference from the responsible authorities in Lebanon.
A sticky black substance, very similar to the tar, that infiltrates the Lebanese waters and beaches after the massive oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the occupied territories of Palestine, where the oily waste covered all the sandy and rocky shores extending from the Naqoura in the south to Beirut in the north, and its source has not yet been determined.
Fatima Jaafar, an agricultural engineer, and member of the Green Southerners’ Protected Areas, emphasises the importance of resolving the problem, which threatens marine life ranging from fish to sea turtles, crabs, algae, plants, insects, and even sea birds.
“Insects, especially those that stand on plants contaminated with this waste, may stick to the feathers, and die as a result. These residues have not even spared the ladybug, which is renowned for its important role in combating agriculture pests,” says Fatima, “This material can also adhere to the feathers of birds, obstructing their ability to fly.”
A Lady bug stuck in the oily waste. Photo: Zaynab Mayladan
While the Israeli authorities are dealing with an environmental and health emergency, any significant official action was absent on the Lebanese side, something Jina Talj, the marine biologist and the director of the Diaries of the Ocean’s organisation, describes as “a great disappointment”.
“Taking on this matter as an environmental organisation puts a lot of pressure on us, both logistically and financially,” she says. “However, the biggest and most significant impediment is the lack of coordination and inability by the official authorities to establish a clear strategy, which puts a great deal of burden on the associations and forces them to take improvised actions rather than pursuing an organised plan,” she says, “Through the Disaster Risk Management unit, the Ministry of Environment should request the assistance of foreign experts and with this we all work to find a suitable response to the crisis.”
What if we can’t remove all the oily waste?
An environmental researcher and member of the Sustainability Committee of the Green Southerners organisation, Abbas Baalbaki, explains that it usually takes two to five years for the oil waste to become visually invisible. However, residues of the toxic hydrocarbons and total ecosystem recovery can take decades to break down. “The management of coastal oil spill waste require special pre-treatment and treatment techniques which are not available in Lebanon, the most reasonable option will be to use the waste in industrial incinerators, according to the Posow manual for oil spill waste management,” says Baalbaki.
Volunteers removing oily waste from Adloun’s beach. Photo: Zaynab Mayladan
“In the long run, oil residues may damage the liver and weaken the immune system in inhabitants of the contaminated area resulting to a biodiversity loss. The biomagnification effect; where the toxic hydrocarbons will accumulate in the food chain, poisons many animals that will find their ways to our plates,” he adds.
Protecting the environment should not be a secondary matter, if we do not protect the little things, nature will turn on us
Jana, a student of Agricultural engineering and one of the volunteers cleaning Adloun’s beach
Around 25 volunteers attended to remove oil pollutants from the beach of Adloun in the southern region of Lebanon in response to the campaign organised by the following organisations; Diaries of the Ocean, The Green Southerners, BEA, and GEM, in which a number of people participated in cooperation with the Federation of El Zahrani Municipalities. The organisations attempted to provide the needed personal protective equipment for this work, such as masks, gloves and plastic bags that are placed around the shoes to prevent spreading the waste and transporting it to the homes. The volunteers who worked under the sun used hand tools like shovel, spading fork, sieve and bags to remove these wastes. Despite the efforts of the organisations, it is nearly impossible to clean the beach completely without leaving traces of this slimy substance that sticks to anything it touches.
Volunteers taking a break after the cleaning campaign of Adloun’s beach in south Lebanon. Photo: Zaynab Mayladan
Ali Tahan, a member of the Green Southerners, expresses his disappointment with the silence surrounding this issue. “I can say that this cleaning campaign that we carried out today does not exceed 5% along 7-km-long coastline,” he explains. “I have extracted very large chunks of oil from under the shallow water, I’m not sure what we might encounter if we dive off the shore.”
This beach is one of Lebanon’s most significant archaeological sites. There are caves overlooking the beach, which according to some studies, date back to the stone age, in addition to the Phoenician harbours and routes. It is also a significant site for biodiversity and the nesting of sea turtles. “Adloun’s beach is considered pristine, meaning that it has not been exposed to any encroachments beforehand, so it is very important that we hasten to clean it up because the sea turtle nesting season has approached and we do not want to lay their eggs in these toxic residues,” says Jana.
Where does the collected oil waste go?
According to the field survey report of the CNRS dated February 2021. It is necessary to take quick action and transfer bags of these wastes from contaminated areas to asphalt factories or cement and brick industry kilns, and not to leave them in the beach area or near residential places.
How effective will this waste be used as a road or construction additive? Will it remain coherent in the long run? Will Lebanon be able to overcome this crisis, or will it be added to the long list of environmental crises that we will suffer from over the years?
