BEIRUT: North Lebanon’s Governor ordered Thursday the closure of a peat-processing plant in the Koura district after residents complained about its emissions and impact on agriculture.
Governor Ramzi Nohra, accompanied by security forces, raided the factory overnight in the Koura village of Bziza.
“The factory operated continuously during the night to hide the great harm that it causes,” Nohra told The Daily Star. “The factory violates health standards.”
The governor explained that factory, which extracts oil from peat, created emissions and odors that had caused anger among the area’s residents.
“This is why we observed closely how this factory was being operated, and we saw that it lacks any health standards,” he said. “It will be immediately closed.”
A bishop from the village expressed his gratitude for the decision, saying the factory was originally erected against the will of the area’s residents.
He explained that the factory had also been causing health problems and agricultural losses for the village’s farmers.
A municipality board member of Bziza told The Daily Star that the factory was not licensed by the municipality when it was created in 2008.
“The factory received the license from former Industry Minister Ghazi Zeaiter directly, without us knowing how it happened,” board member Sleiman Qassas said. “The municipality was only notified about it [after].”
Ghazi Zeaiter is the current Minister of Public Works and Transportation. He is affiliated with the Amal Movement, headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
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