A consequence of this human activity is air pollution where the industrial and energy sectors play an important role, especially in Lebanon. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is causing around 4 million premature deaths yearly (WHO, 2022), while the World Bank estimated around 1,800 deaths caused by air pollution in Lebanon for the year 2013 and a welfare cost of more than 2.5 billion US Dollars for this same year (World Bank, 2013). The safety levels of air pollution below which no health impact is detected are being decreased in every WHO review, the latest being in September 2021 (WHO, 2021).
Cement industry: do we need to choose between the environment and the economy?
One of the major players in the manufacturing sector in Lebanon is the cement industry. It has been around for more than 80 years despite the wars and is an important player in the country’s GDP.
For as long as I can remember, cement industries in Lebanon have been in conflict with their near-by communities for reasons related to environmental issues despite the fact that the majority of their employees are residents of the surrounding villages. The cement industries get an important share of their raw material from their quarries located near the factories which is financially very beneficial to gain time and minimize the cost of transportation. These extracted materials are of very suitable quality for their final product which is reflected in the good quality of cement produced. However, the license for quarrying has been debated for a long time, especially that a special approval has been granted by the Council of Ministers for ten years in 1997 and work has been generally occurring since. For example, in the Chekka region, the excavation expanded drastically and local groups widespread their actions and accelerated the pace of their petitions, press conferences, articles in the newspapers, sit-ins, etc. They even contacted many governmental officials and wrote open letters. Up till now, issues on zoning and zone classification have not been practically resolved. This issue in Chekka is much complicated.
Very limited rehabilitation works have been conducted in the quarries in Lebanon, resulting in air pollution from the dust in the quarries that is lifted by the wind and resuspended in the nearby communities. Few months ago, cement companies have been more interested in working on the rehabilitation following the pressure put by the previous Council of Ministers.
On the other hand, the emissions from the cement production process have decreased over the years. Technology has been used at its best to capture dust particles released from the high stacks of the factories and also other pollutants like heavy metals resulting in emissions equivalent to those European ones, whereas pollutants like nitrogen oxides still show relatively high emissions even though compliant with the Lebanese regulations which in turn are very old and outdated.
In general, the cement industry is a high energy consuming industry. Fuels and electricity are the two main types of energy used in cement manufacture.
Electricity in Lebanon: a deadly sector under current conditions?
The type of power generating technology at the cement factories in Lebanon is the same as the one used in neighborhoods for the general public, called reciprocating engines also known as diesel generator. This technology is also used by the national electricity company Electricité Du Liban (EDL) in two of their power plants and the power barges previously operating, and also in some of the cement factories. With a supply of electricity from EDL of around 2 to 4 hours per day during the current economic crisis, especially in 2021, the market of the power generators increased in a very important way augmented by the hours of operation to fill the power shortage. The generators’ owners did not accept to completely fill the gap generated by EDL in the present conditions since they claim not getting a fair arrangement with the Ministry of Energy and Water over the electricity unit price. Day-to-day consequences rise to food security, national security, education, etc. On a national level, the emissions of some pollutants from the generators surpassed those of the power plants since 2012. These pollutants encompass more than a hundred chemical compounds, many of them are carcinogenic resulting in an increase in cancer risk which impact would be tangible in many years in the future. The air pollutants emissions from the generators’ electricity production have more than doubled during 2021 compared to 2019, just before the crisis began. The chimneys of the generators are generally short, hence disperse the pollutants in the street in large quantities which results in an excessive exposure of residents. Where chimneys are taller, people residing in high floors experience exhaust smells and dust, while these chimneys are rarely raised high enough above buildings in order not to cause nuisance to people. Most of the time, the generators are only equipped with a noise silencer, while a small share is equipped with dust filter which is generally not the most suited. Only very few are equipped with some appropriate filters for dust. This chimney height consequence has caused many admissions to the emergency rooms for people residing in dense Lebanese cities. Especially when the generator’s smoke entered the apartments through the windows. Many people complain about the nuisance from what they can see as black dust or a smell - and even what they can hear with high levels of noise - impacting their apartments even in higher floors especially in cities. Generally, citizens raise complaints to the municipality or the Ministry of Environment which visit the site and require the generator’s owner to conduct some tests and check the compliance with the current regulations. Only few generators are compliant. The issue always relies in the health impact resulting from these air emissions sources in their current configuration, especially with the exacerbation of the electricity crisis and the excessive use of the power generators where the health impact is expected to increase in a very significant way.
Do regulations exist?
The law enforcement issue remains the critical step of the entire system. Environmental regulations exist, are applicable, but on the other hand the current ones are old. Issued in 2001, they have become obsolete at present with worldwide regulations much tighter and the technology much advanced. In some cases, emissions of some pollutants from the existing cement industries are much lower than current regulations, but on the other hand quarries emissions are not being monitored and reported properly. Monitoring of the emissions of generators is only being conducted regularly at the major industries e.g. cement, but only upon complaints when it comes to neighborhoods’ generators which in general are not compliant even with the current local regulations. Complete compliance assessments are needed, but first an inventory of the generators shall be conducted. An effort to create a database of all the generators at the national level has been launched by the Ministry of Economy few years ago but was never completed. On the other hand, an update of the environmental regulations for air emissions (Ministerial decision 16/1 dated 10 February 2022) has been published by the Ministry of Environment in the Official Gazette last February which will enter into force on 10 February 2023. At least, this will ensure contemporary thresholds that are in line with the international standards. With the current crisis and the new reality at the ministries, asking the municipalities to play their original role of local authorities and executive arm for the ministries at local level is more than needed at present.
These examples were only a glimpse of the problems that we are facing daily. Matters will not progress without an effective applied plan and law enforcement.
References:
WHO (2022). Air pollution. Accessed on 18 December 2021. https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_2
WHO (2021). WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. World Health Organization. Accessed on 18 December 2021. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/345329
World Bank (2016). The Cost of Air Pollution, Strengthening the Economic Case for Action. 122 pages