Jumblat Vows to Close Naameh Landfill, Orders Opening Blocked Roads 'Immediately'
Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblat vowed on Thursday to close al-Naameh landfill, urging protesters in the coastal Shouf city to reopen the roads in the area.
"We pledge to close the Naameh landfill for good the moment the extended contract ends on January 17, 2015 and we vow that we will not allow any new extension of ownership of the plummet to take place,” Jumblat said in a releases statement, pointing out to the “unprecedented dangerous environmental situation in the surroundings of the landfill that was caused by the continuous extension of the contract.”
He noted: “We must take advantage in the meantime to find the necessary scientific, technical and environment-friendly solutions to the current landfill, and produce energy that surrounding regions can benefit from.”
"We must also find an alternative to get rid of garbage in Beirut,” he added. “Each region in Lebanon must bear the responsibility of processing its own garbage.”
“The National Struggle Front will follow-up on issuing two draft laws that the MPs proposed at the first session of the parliament," Jumblat announced.
The National Struggle Front head elaborated: “The first draft law deals with paying the municipalities' fiscal dues that were not covered since 2008, and the second tackles exempting all municipalities that are close to the landfill of their debts to the Independent Municipal Fund.”
The Druze leader expressed that he understands “people's suffering,” urging them to give way to the efforts exerted to draw an end to this case “for good.”
"This would restore the normal situation and puts and end to the accumulating environmental crisis in the area,” he remarked.
"I demand the reopening of the roads immediately and without any delay, especially that the country cannot suffer additional problems amid the current political and security situation.”
The roads of the capital and its surrounding regions became flooded with waste after Sukleen, the only company tasked with collecting garbage in the governorates of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, announced on Saturday that it will suspend collecting garbage there.
“People's sit-in near the Naameh landfill and blocking the road in front of the company’s trucks for the second day in a row lead to the piling up of garbage that were ready to be plumbed,” a statement released by Sukleen explained.
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