Is our Lebanon still green?

We, in Lebanon, are very proud of our great mountains and our green forests. We claim to be the only Arab country with no desert, and to have the most breathtaking landscapes. Well guess what, our mountains are disappearing, and our forests are being transformed into deserts.

Right now, as you are reading these lines, hundreds of Syrians workers are breaking our mountains, under the supervision of some politicians, for whom we cheer each time they open their mouth to say something stupid.

The problem of quarries in Lebanon started in the 80s. and grew bigger in the 90s. Following the end of the civil war, cities and villages were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Quarries started appearing at every corner to extract material needed for construction.

There are an estimated number of 1000-1300 quarries in Lebanon, most of which are illegal. In most cases, quarries are linked to politicians. Once the damage is done, it cannot be restored. Mountains take millions of years to form, and some greedy politicians come and destroy them in a couple of months. And we sit back, watch them, and do nothing.

Everyone is aware of the problems in Lebanon. We live in the age of internet, fast information. Information is everywhere, all environmental organizations know about this problem, all philanthropists, politicians, business men know about this. All citizens know about this, yet what do we do? We cheer up for those who are destroying our country – or what is left of it.
Take five minutes to check out Lebanon on google maps or google earth. Look closely to the mountains, you will be shocked by the amount of quarries. No area is exempted, North, South, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, Anti-Lebanon.

In 1997, 15 years ago, some guy wrote articles about this major disaster on the internet, that you can find here:http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/360/363/363.7/fareed/lebenv35.html

Here we are, 15 years later, what has been done? The situation got worse. Lebanon is getting uglier by the hour. By the time people actually act and stand up against these illegal actions, Lebanon would have become just another deserting Arab country.

Quarries must be stopped right now, and damaged sites must be replanted with trees, so we can really become the green and great country we claim to be.

#Anonymous lebanese citizen