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In the absence of official statistics, residents say cancer is sweeping cities in central and western Bekaa, amid reports indicating Litani River pollution is a major cause of the disease’s spread.
The crops of the Bekaa Valley are irrigated with water Litani riverWhich has been described as polluted according to local reports, knowing that the region’s agricultural fruit and vegetable production is distributed throughout the rest of Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut.
A Lebanese woman from the city of Al-Manara says: Western Bekaa place "Sky News Arabia"That "Many people around me have had cancer. My father died two years ago, weeks before my uncle, and last week the neighbor’s son, and before him my uncle’s wife. Every day we hear of injuries in a municipality whose population does not exceed 4 thousand inhabitants, and the situation applies to the neighboring municipalities".
The chairman of the board of trustees of the Litani River National Authority, Sami Alawia, says: "The Lebanese are all susceptible to cancer, but Bekaa is the biggest problem".
According to a top interview for the site "Sky News Arabia"The reasons for the spread of cancer in the Bekaa are:
• The population lives in an agricultural environment irrigated with contaminated water that causes cancer.
• The population adopts a polluted food mixture, in addition to burning waste in the area, which leads to the deterioration of the public health system.
A report from the Litani River National Authority dating back to May 2020 indicates that the site "Sky News Arabia" a copy of it, a "High rates of cancer have been recorded in the cities of the Bekaa".
The report attributed the reasons for this to the presence of some pollutants in the area and their dispersion in the airunderground water and agricultural land.
The report also attributes the responsibility to factories disposing of their waste in the Litani River, which are factories of cosmetics, detergents and paints, which were 9 in the first survey, which included 192 industrial plants.
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Former head of the parliamentary health committee, Dr Assem Araji, says: "The cancer incidence rate in the Bekaa and areas adjacent to the Litani River is high".
According to Araji’s hadith for the site "Sky News Arabia"it "There are no statistics. We ask the relevant ministries to prepare a spreadsheet of cancer cases in Lebanon".
He adds: "The percentage is very high and several cities in the Bekaa suffer from pollution due to sewage and industrial waste, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and solid waste discharged into the Litani River.".
The former MP said: "We presented a bill and it became a law in the Chamber of Deputies with the number 63, to remove the sources of pollution in the Bekaa within 7 years, at a cost of 800 million dollars.".
but "An amount in Lebanese pounds equal to about 400 million dollars has been spent and, due to the economic crisis, its value is no longer sufficient to complete the project".
Araji warned "The high levels of nitrates, mercury and carcinogens transported from the river to Lake Qaraoun in the Bekaa"pointing it out "Cancer rates are steadily increasing, especially in the digestive system and pancreas".
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In the absence of official statistics, residents say cancer is sweeping cities in central and western Bekaa, amid reports indicating Litani River pollution is a major cause of the disease’s spread.
The crops of the Bekaa Valley are irrigated with water Litani riverWhich has been described as polluted according to local reports, knowing that the region’s agricultural fruit and vegetable production is distributed throughout the rest of Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut.
A Lebanese woman from the city of Al-Manara says: Western Bekaa For “Sky News Arabia”, “Many people around me have contracted cancer. My father died two years ago, weeks before my uncle, and last week the neighbor’s son, and before him my wife. Uncle Every day we hear about Injured in a municipality whose population does not exceed 4 thousand people, and the situation applies to neighboring municipalities.
The chairman of the board of the National Litani River Authority, Sami Alawia, said: “All Lebanese are vulnerable to cancer, but in the Bekaa the problem is the biggest.”
According to Alawia’s interview with “Sky News Arabia”, the reasons for the spread of cancer in the Bekaa are:
• The population lives in an agricultural environment irrigated with contaminated water that causes cancer.
• The population adopts a contaminated food mixture, as well as burning waste in the area, which leads to the deterioration of the public health system.
A May 2020 report from the Litani River National Authority, of which a copy was obtained by “Sky News Arabia”, indicates that “high rates of cancer have been recorded in the cities of the Bekaa.”
The report attributed the reasons for this to the presence of some pollutants in the area and their dispersion in the airunderground water and agricultural land.
The report also attributes the responsibility to factories disposing of their waste in the Litani River, which are factories of cosmetics, detergents and paints, which were 9 in the first survey, which included 192 industrial plants.
bill
The former head of the parliamentary health committee, Dr Assem Araji, said that “the rate of cancer cases in the Bekaa and in the areas adjacent to the Litani River is high”.
According to Araji’s interview with “Sky News Arabia”, “there are no statistics. We ask the relevant ministries to prepare a spreadsheet of cancer cases in Lebanon“.
He added: “The percentage is very high and several cities in the Bekaa suffer from pollution from sewage and industrial waste, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and solid waste discharged into the Litani River.”
The former parliamentarian confirmed: “We have presented a bill and it has become a law in the House with the number 63, to remove the sources of pollution of the Bekaa within 7 years, at a cost of 800 million dollars”.
However, “a sum in Lebanese pounds equal to approximately 400 million dollars has been disbursed and, due to the economic crisis, its value is no longer sufficient to complete the project”.
Araji warned of the “high rates of nitrates, mercury and carcinogens that the river carries to Lake Qaraoun in the Bekaa”, noting that “cancer rates are steadily increasing, especially in the digestive tract and pancreas”.
