Judge Extends Deadline to Close Controversial Costa Brava Landfill

Urgent Matters Judge of Baabda Hassan Hamdan ordered on Tuesday an extension for the deadline to close the controversial landfill of Costa Brava until a final verdict is issued in the case on January 31, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The landfill was purported to be permanently closed on Tuesday, January 24, pending a final verdict in the case, according to a judge ruling.

Orders to close the landfill, which lies at the foot of the Rafik Hariri International Airport, emerged when concerns rose that the seagulls circling around the site pose a threat to aircraft safety.

Ultrasonic noise makers were installed to keep the gulls out of the flight path, after local media reported multiple bird strikes, citing unnamed airport workers.

Birds were seen around the landfill as planes touched down on the opposite end of the runway.

Since authorities opened the landfill last year, environmentalists have warned it would attract large birds, leading to catastrophic strikes if they were sucked into engines.

Lebanon has been grappling with a garbage crisis since authorities were forced to close an overused landfill serving the capital in 2015.