Lebanese Case Study :

According to the Journal of Enviromental Management, the Israelian-lebanese war in June 2006
had a lot of social, economoic and enviromental damaging effects. The bombing of the Jiyye
Power Plant in the South of Lebanon has caused the leakage of 35,000 tons of oil with 15,000
tons released into the sea. the gorvement was too involved in war so its main focus was on
providing safe conditions for the lebanese and unfortunately, the enviroment was the victime.

A big black whole centered the lebanese coast. The tourism was effected since the tourists did
not come to Lebanon due to war and political instability. Not only foreigners, the lebanese also
did not go to the beaches for all the summer because it was heavely polluted.

Moreover, the oil spill resulted in killing the marine life and the extinction of already endangered
animals in the midterrean sea including sea turtules. Fishermen were affected also since the
water was polluted and the fishes were killed. There was a large mortality rate among migratory
or local seabirds, all type of fishes, turtle eggs and others. Some heritage ares were also
destroyed such as Khuraibet.

According to the UN (2007), at least 22 areas lying along 100 km on the coastline were affected
by oil spilling.

This was the biggest oil spill in Lebanon and all the midterrian region since not only Lebanon
beaches were affected, but also Turkey, Syria and Cyprus.

The lebanese govermenet had no economical capacity to treat this ecological crisis since the
clean up process cost about 40 to 50 million dollars.

Therefore, the lebanese goverment seeked for help from Qatar. A plane that ships all the
equipement necessary of the clean up arrived through Syria after few days of the spillig.
However, the Israeli did not let the equipement of the clean up process to be delivered to the sea
to be treated. The lebanese goverment had no access to the lebanese sea so the marine life was
not saved in that time. And according to enviromentalist, i will take hundred of years to be
totally recovered naturally.

Takshe, A. A., Huby, M., Frantzi, S., & Lovett, J. C. (2010). Dealing with pollution from
conflict: Analysis of discourses around the 2006 lebanon oil spill. Journal of Environmental
Management, 91(4), 887-896. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.11.005

Oil spill threatens lebanese coast. (2006). Oil Daily, , 1.