We fear an explosion over the port of Beirut

The municipality of Tripoli, capital of northern Lebanon, warned of an explosion that threatens the city more than Beirut as a result of the port explosion on August 4.

The head of the municipality’s Environment and Energy Committee, engineer Muhammad Nur al-Ayoubi, said in a media interview that persistent negligence in managing gas emissions from the former landfill threatens the city and may lead to an explosion that overcomes the complications of what hit the capital, Beirut.

And he called for the need for officials of the Union of Municipalities to fulfill their functions of ensuring the safety of citizens and preventing a disaster.

Al-Ayoubi said: “The real danger of a large fire covering Tripoli and many surrounding areas, followed by a large explosion larger than the one that affected the capital Beirut, all its elements are present and increased and accelerated with the drilling of the three gas wells. These wells doubled the amount of gas spread on the surface of the old landfill, where there is dry grass. ” It is ignited by any spark it receives from cigarette butts or by the reflection of strong sunlight on glass, cans, beverage cans, or any direct sabotage. “

He added: “At the bottom of the landfill, there are also thousands of used car tires and other flammable debris that are part of AMB’s sorting plant, and their ignition will inevitably lead to a massive fire that will cover the skies over Tripoli and surrounding areas. ”

He believed that the sequence of these accidents, if they occurred, would increase the surface temperature of the landfill and cause a large explosion, and we do not know the extent of their severity and the impact of their consequences on Tripoli, the port and the surrounding area.

The head of the Environment and Energy Committee of the Municipality of Tripoli said that those who inspect the old landfill are sure, at first glance, that all the elements of the fire and explosion are ready in one place.

He stressed that what is required of the Federation of Municipalities of Al-Fayha is a quick solution to prevent any fire from occurring in the old landfill through practical steps, including removing the grass from the surface of the landfill at maximum speed, especially on the side close to the gas nozzles and close to the classification plant, removing all wheels and flammable materials in the yard of the rapid classification plant. Maximum and feasibility review of gas wells with a specialized company.

The Beirut explosion, which occurred on August 4, resulted in great material losses and more than two hundred deaths and thousands of injuries, as a result of the presence of large amounts of ammonium nitrate, while investigations continue to find out who is responsible of the existence of these unannounced materials. No results so far.