Naharnet

Report: Berri to Threaten Use of Force to Resolve Trash Crisis

Speaker Nabih Berri is set to make a “severe” position at Monday's national dialogue session given how disappointed he is over the lingering trash disposal crisis that was exacerbated over the weekend with the first heavy rainfall of the season, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper.

It said on Monday that Berri “would call for the implementation of the waste disposal plan and would resort to the use of the military and security forces if the need arises.”

He took the example of Italy's Naples as an example of when force was used to tackle a trash crisis.

The speaker “wondered how the state cannot take advantage of lands it owns to establish landfills,” criticizing those exploiting the file and who are addressing it from a sectarian angle.

Naples has for years suffered from a garbage disposal crisis due to political corruption and Italian officials had threatened to deploy the army to resolve the problem, said the BBC in 2014 report.

Lebanon has been suffering from a trash disposal crisis since July with the closure of the Naameh landfill.

Politicians have failed to find an alternative to the landfill, resulting in the pile up of garbage on the streets of the country.

The heavy rain on Sunday brought with it flooded streets coupled with waste, as experts warned of the health and environmental impact of the crisis.


Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/192844