Twelve years ago, the suffering of the people of Kfour town began. In the town, located within Nabatieh District, factories and plants of all kinds are spread, from quarries, stone mills, asphalt plants, slaughterhouses, and tire recycling plants, in addition to landfills. These factories operate without complying with environmental regulations, causing pollution and health issues that affect all residents in Kfour and surrounding areas. Since 2016, an unlawful secret re-classification of properties has began without informing the residents. The current mayor, a real estate contractor who has held his position since 2016, appears to be making changes to classifications and investments according to his own financial interests,and seemingly those of his network. It appears that the trend is towards expanding the industrial zone at the expense of agricultural areas and even at the expense of future residential expansion. The role of the Higher council of Urban planning in this process is not to be neglected. While we mourn our agricultural and forest lands destroyed by Israel in their aggression against Gaza and Lebanon, how can one justify the destructive practices of the Lebanese local authorities and public institutions that completely contradict the principle of a productive economy and cause widespread environmental damage resembling “Ecocide”?

Read the full article in Arabic here.