SELAATA, Lebanon: A chemical factory in Batroun was raided by members of the Internal Security Forces Tuesday, as part of a nationwide crackdown on polluters. Selaata Chemical was given a month to halt its dumping of chemical waste in the sea following a surprise inspection by the ISF, who were accompanied by North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra.
“After examining the Selaata Chemical Company, it turns out that they get rid of the chemicals they don’t use by dumping them into the sea,” Nohra said after the tour.
“We will give them a month, and we will follow the issue with the Environment Ministry [...] this situation cannot be tolerated, especially as it affects the local fisheries and ecology,” he said.
Residents of Selaata and neighboring areas are inhaling toxic chemicals, claimed Nohra, who said the company’s waste is damaging marine resources and polluting beaches from Batroun to Chekka.
“The level of pollution in this area is frighteningly high because of this factory,” the governor said.
The goal of the inspection was to straighten out the factory’s problems and bring it in line with environmental regulations. A deadline was also given to the owner to put an end to the foul odors emitted by the plant.
But Selaata Chemical insisted that its practices meet industry standards.
“The company treats all gaseous and liquid wastes according to internationally adopted environmental standards,” read a statement released by the company.
“And [the company] is constantly subjected to the inspections of the Environment Ministry, the competent authority in this regard.”
The company said it presents the ministry with monthly reports including records of its gaseous emissions and analysis of “samples of wastewater, according to the Environment Ministry’s demands.”
Sayed Fayad, a lawyer for Selaata Chemical, stressed the company’s interest in preserving the environment and meeting safety standards.
“We do not want anyone to get harmed,” Fayad said during the tour. “And we are ready to do anything that could benefit the people or alleviate any potential harm.”
The lawyer said he couldn’t state the precise level of pollution in the sea, saying that the team accompanying the governor could take its own samples.
“We have samples, we examined them, and the results have showed that there’s pollution,” Nohra countered. “The moment we entered the factory, the level of chemical pollution – with odors that no one could stand – was apparent.”
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