Oil from a Lebanese power plant struck by an Israeli bomb continued to spill into the Mediterranean Sea yesterday, as the sheer extent of the spill and its ecological toll has elevated the crisis from a national to a regional environmental threat.
In the meantime, the Malta-based Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), as per its remit, has been liaising closely with the Lebanese environment ministry to ascertain the environmental damage, contain the spill and decide on future action once it is deemed safe to send clean-up experts to the region.
Estimates of the spill’s extent vary from 10,000 to 35,000 tonnes after the fuel tanks of the Jiyyeh power station, just south of Beirut, were struck by Israeli jets between 13 and 15 July. So far the spill has contaminated an 80-kilometre stretch of coastline. Since the bombing, winds have been pushing the oil further north and the spill is now threatening the Syrian coast.
While the Lebanese authorities and infrastructure remain in a state of disarray due to the violence in the region, the spill continues to move unchecked as the continued bombing of Lebanon and the Israeli blockade of the Lebanese coast render it impossible to dispatch any experts from REMPEC or Barcelona Convention signatory countries, including Malta, to the area to begin containment and clean-up activities.
REMPEC, which is managed jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEMAP) and the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in addition to liaising closely with the Lebanese authorities, is also organising such a team of experts to assist in the clean-up as soon as hostilities in the region cease.
It has also activated its Mediterranean Assistance Unit to mobilise key pollution control centres in the region that will be able to take action once hostilities draw to an end.
Contacted by The Malta Independent yesterday, a UNEMAP spokesperson confirmed: “There is no way to have any concrete intervention due to the bombing. The clean-up must be physical as the oil sticks to the rocks and shore, but we cannot do anything until there is a guaranteed ceasefire. We have a unit on standby for action once we have security clearance to enter the region.”
The UN agency has also requested signatories of the Barcelona Convention to supply personnel and equipment to be ready to intervene once the region is accessible, which many have agreed to. Malta, the official confirmed, has replied to the request but said it needs to know a bit more about the situation and what it can offer.
The spokesperson also confirmed that some of the oil slick has reached the Syrian coast and has been cleaned up by Syrian authorities.
A new fire breaking out at the power plant has also threatened an undamaged tank holding another 15,000 tonnes of oil. Thick, black smoke from the fire has been polluting the air over Beirut and its suburbs and officials in Beirut have warned residents near the sea to keep their windows closed and stay as far away from the oil as possible, since fumes from the oil can cause skin and respiratory problems.
The UN is also concerned about the humanitarian and environmental impact linked to strikes on other aspects of Lebanon’s infrastructure such as airports, seaports and industrial facilities, which may similarly cause the leakage of toxic chemicals into the environment, putting local populations and aid workers at risk.