& now its Ecological War. Israel causes Oil Slick in Lebanon.

international | environment | news report

Friday July 28, 2006 19:30

by iosaf

The Israeli airforce as we must know by now, in their fight against an estimated 18,000 strong terrorist organisation have destroyed 80% of the infrastructure of a nation-state of less than 4 million people.

They've now topped it off by bombing Southern Lebanon's Jiyeh power plant. A plant which had 6 fuel tanks, 4 of them have now burnt - Lebanon is appealing for foam - 1 is still is burning - and 15,000 tonnes of oil have poured onto more than 90 kilometres of the Lebanese coast from Jiyyeh to Shekka, north of the capital, including Beirut's only sandy public beach of Ramlet al-Baida,the coast.

To put this in perspective the Prestige Oil Tanker polluted Galicia in Spain by sinking off coast with 30,000 tonnes of oil. At risk is not only the wildlife of the eastern Mediterranean sea, and ironically the fish and birds of northern Israel as well as all of Lebanon - but also the comparatively rare "green back turtle". Its so rare they sell T-shirts of it and do their best to keep it off the extinction list...,

15,000 tonnes of Oil so far have entered the sea as Lebanon's power plant burns

The slick has extended as far north as the Syrian port of Tartus.

"A black slick spread over six miles appeared yesterday (Wednesday) on the Syrian coast," said Hassan Murjan, environment official for the southern port of Tartus. "It's diesel from the electric power station or the boat that were attacked in Lebanon," he said, adding that tests were being done to determine where the oil came from."

For indeed quite a few boats have been sunk as well...

Due to the rocky nature of the coast of the eastern Mediterranean between Haifa and Syria, when the soldiers have stopped fighting - & the refugees go home - it will have to be cleaned by hand.

Last link to Lebanon's ecological umbrella group
http://greenline.org.lb/new/index.html