Lebanon: A Country that Needs Change to Resume the Life They Once Had.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On August 4th, 2020, Lebanon experienced one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history causing thousands to be injured, and over 300,000 people were left homeless. This blast released ammonia gas and nitrogen oxides into the air and soil, which increased people’s chances of getting lung cancer, and the produce that was farmed in the soil caused many people to get food poisoning.
This is urgent since more issues have arisen in Lebanon, such as only being able to pull $400 from your bank account a month, no electricity throughout the day, lack of healthcare resources, and job availability. The people of Lebanon have moved to other parts of the middle east since the country is not helping them.
I recommend new policies such as increasing the amount of money Lebanese citizens can pull from their accounts or creating a request form that they can fill out in case of emergencies. Lebanon is also looking for help in cleaning the aftermath of the blast. They should hire the people who lost their jobs to do this task. This will provide people with the money necessary to allow them to buy groceries and other goods. Lastly, they should make use of the abandoned buildings in and around Beirut to shelter those who have lost their homes. This will decrease the homeless population and provide families with showers, heaters, kitchens, and the beds they once had. While all of these recommendations have merit in and of themselves, they must be considered in tandem with the realities of the corrupt government officials who will greet them with stern resistance.
OVERVIEW
August 4th, 2020 is a day no Lebanese citizen will forget: a day of grief, sadness, and fear. On August 4th, 2020 a blast occurred in Beirut at one of the many ports. This blast was labeled as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history as it destroyed the port, damaged more than half the city, and devastated many families. For 8 years prior to the explosion, tons of ammonium nitrate — a dangerous and corrosive substance — had been stored in port warehouses without proper safety monitoring.
The Beirut port explosion killed 218 people, including nationals of Lebanon, Syria, and even the United States of America. It wounded thousands of others, damaged around 80,000 homes, and left 300,000 people homeless, increasing the unhoused population by 50%. In addition, people lost their jobs and were unable to secure temporary housing.
Children were also affected by this unforgettable and devastating blast. Many died and thousands more were hospitalized. Even the surviving children were deprived of over a year of education, as some public schools were destroyed and private schools were too expensive. Not only were schools affected, but also businesses.
All these issues need to be addressed so the Lebanese people can get back on their feet and resume life as they once knew it in a country with beautiful blue ocean water, white powdery snow, kind-hearted citizens, and delicious food. The people of Lebanon deserve better from their government. For the benefit of the country, new laws must be put into place and enforced to reach the light at the end of the dark tunnel that Lebanon has entered.
WE NEED SHELTER, CLEAN WATER, AND ELECTRICITY
Much of the infrastructure in Beirut was damaged, causing businesses to lose water, electricity, and basic supplies they need on an everyday basis. As stated, “There was extensive damage to infrastructure, including transport, energy, water supply and sanitation, and municipal services totaling US$390–475 million in losses. According to the World Bank, the explosion caused an estimated $3.8–4.6 billion in material damage” (McKay). Businesses had to shut down since there was no way to produce their supplies. Without their businesses, people could not pay rent or cover their healthcare costs from the explosion.
The Beirut blast released ammonia gas and nitrogen oxides. These two chemicals are extremely harmful to humans and the environment. These chemicals were found in soil and water. As stated, “The destruction is estimated to have created up to 800,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste that likely contains hazardous chemicals that can damage health through direct exposure, or soil and water contamination” (HRW). It will be a large project to conduct meaningful clean-up efforts.
Lebanon already suffers from a lack of clean water, so this adds to their ongoing problem. People have been showering, brushing their teeth, washing their faces, and cooking with this contaminated water. It has affected many people’s health. Ammonia gas and nitrogen oxides are affecting people’s respiratory systems, increasing their chances of getting lung cancer. Following the explosion, many Lebanese residents were wearing two to three masks. Those older in age either stayed indoors or wore gas masks since they were already at a greater risk. The United Nations Development Programme estimated that it will cost over 100 million dollars to clean up the environmental damage from the explosion. This is only the environmental damage, not any other damages.
WE NEED OUR MONEY
Many Lebanese people have been oppressed since this blast. They are fighting to find water, gas, and even bread. The government of Lebanon has restricted its people’s purchasing power. Everything has been limited: gas, electricity, food, daily necessities, medicines, and even access to their own money.
Many banks in Lebanon have limited their client’s ability to withdraw funds to four hundred dollars a month. This restricts them to only having one hundred dollars a week, which only covers some people’s gas. As stated, “Lebanon’s banks further tightened limits on foreign currency withdrawals on Monday, with at least one financial institution restricting depositors to a maximum withdrawal of $400 a month” (Azhari). This occurred because banks closed in response to the protests against governmental corruption. Many students could not attend their universities or schools because they had no access to their money that was in the banks. This resulted in their missing a year of school, and those attending universities outside of Lebanon had to decline their offers. People have fought for access to their money in ways the world has never seen.
Sali Hafiz is a Lebanese citizen living in Beirut. Her sister has been diagnosed with cancer and is on the verge of dying. As a sister, Sali wants to do everything in her power to help. Doctors are asking Sali for fifty thousand dollars to cover the cost of her sister’s treatment. Sali is blessed enough to have that money, but the only issue is the money is in her savings account. She has spent countless hours at the bank begging for her own money so that her sister can get the treatment she needs. As stated, “she needs $50,000 to treat her sister’s cancer, she said and has pleaded with the bank for months to access her funds. My sister is dying in front of my eyes (Dadouch). Sali has been repeatedly denied every time she visited the bank. It got to the point where she considered selling her own kidney to pay for the treatment.
After many months, Sali decided to come up with a “heist” to get her money. She and her family went into the bank one morning and began to scream and demanded their money, but the employees did not care. Sali then took out the toy gun she had and began to threaten them for her money. The bank panicked and proceeded to give her the money. The employees did not know the gun was fake until articles of this story came out. While Sali was screaming for her money, her family was guarding the doors of the bank and recording what was happening. Sali was not the first person to do this to a bank, “Hafiz is the second person in Beirut this summer to take hostages in a bank, where depositors have been prevented from accessing the money in their accounts for nearly two years” (Dadouch). Both times this happened, the people of Lebanon saw this as a good thing and supported the two. People saw them as heroes as they both fought for their rights and their country.
RECOMMENDATIONS
CREATE FORMS TO ALLOW ACCESS TO MONEY
A policy that should be implemented in Lebanon is a request form that Lebanese residents can fill out in case of an emergency. Sali should have not gone through years of trying to get money to pay for her sister’s cancer treatment. Banks should have understood that someone’s life was in their hands. This form would be filled out by the people of Lebanon and get reviewed by the bank in less than a week. This form can be filled out to pay a healthcare bill, university tuition, or large overdue bills. The person would add proof of documentation regarding why they need the money to make sure no one is lying. From here, the bank would look over the form and decide if it should be approved. The bank may deny the amount requested but must provide reasoning for the denial and award some amount of money. This would decrease many problems between the citizens and the banks. People would be able to pay bills, attend to healthcare needs, and attend the universities they dreamed of attending.
PROVIDE JOBS TO SURVIVE
The second policy that should be enacted in Lebanon is providing jobs to those who are unemployed. The government and other politicians say they want to clean up the disaster that was caused by this horrific blast, and they have a readily available workforce at their disposal; the government and the other politicians should offer those who are unemployed a job helping to clean the disaster. Those who do this will be paid hourly and get their checks bi-weekly. While on the job, they will be provided with gear that will protect them. This will allow many people to have a job since cleaning the disaster will be a lot of work. This will occupy them while they look for other jobs. With their paychecks, they can provide food for their families and pay any bills they may have. There should be few obstacles to this plan as the labor needed is largely unskilled and little expense will be necessary for training.
PROVIDE SHELTER
The third policy that should take place is providing shelter to those who no longer have homes. People either lost their homes due to the blast or could not afford a place due to the economy. There are many abandoned homes and apartments in Beirut, as many have left the country to leave the heartache behind. These apartments and homes can be turned into shelters for those who need a roof over their heads. A non-profit organization can be created that provides these shelters to people. The non-profit can reach out to those in charge of those abandoned homes and ask if they may use them. One way to sell the idea may be the benefit of having residents who will maintain homes for people who hope to return to their homeland one day when peace, order, and safety have been restored. This is more than likely to happen since many have already opened their homes to those who are homeless. Lebanon gets heavy snow in the winter, which has caused many homeless people to get sick. Providing shelter for people will decrease the homeless population and protect those individuals.
CORRUPT POLITICIANS
The political leaders of Lebanon are corrupt. They refuse to help their country and only care for their own survival. As stated, “the country’s corrupt political leaders, preoccupied with their own survival and the protection of their privileges, have failed altogether to act” (Balian). After the port explosion, Lebanon did not have a Council of Ministers for thirteen months. The government leaders disagreed with what their people wanted and what other countries thought was best for Lebanon. With the corrupt government exerting nearly complete control over the people, the economy, and the infrastructure, the future of the country and its much-needed reforms look bleak.
Providing banks with forms that allow them to grant money to others may only work in private banks. Public banks are run by the government and therefore this plan will likely come up against crippling resistance.
Any employment opportunities will most probably be generated from within the private sector, as the government does not seem concerned with providing their people with these jobs. The strength of their economy does not appear to be their number one concern.
HOUSING OBSTACLES
Providing housing for Lebanese people would help the country tremendously, but with that comes many obstacles. Finding abandoned homes is easy but then things get complicated. After finding a house or apartment building, potential occupants would need to find the owners of the homes and ask for permission. If the homes are run down, they would need to fix them and provide proper living environments. All of this would require some degree of either government assistance or oversight, and with the corrupt and selfish government, this may prove difficult at best, and impossible at worst.
WE NEED TIME
With a self-serving government, lack of resources, and widespread devastation, change in Lebanon needs some time. This does not mean it is impossible for this beautiful country to change. This will take years to fix, but by taking things one step at a time, change will occur. However, we must take steps now before we lose this country. The people of Lebanon deserve jobs. The people of Lebanon deserve homes. The people of Lebanon deserve basic human rights. The people of Lebanon deserve to resume the life they once had.
