Amid the scattered rubble of southern Lebanon, left in the wake of Israel’s relentless war machine, residents stand among the ruins of their homes and memories, wondering: When will reconstruction promises become reality? And when will they reclaim even a small part of the life they had before the war?
Days pass, and the rubble remains—a silent witness to the wounds of war, threatening what little life is left in these stricken areas. As different parties shift the responsibility of debris removal from one to another, residents remain captive to waiting, dreaming of a day when the scent of dust is no longer a substitute for the breeze of their villages, and when rubble is no longer the first sight at sunrise.
Since the announcement of the ceasefire agreement on November 27, 2024, massive amounts of debris have continued to pile up—particularly in the southern suburbs, which witnessed large-scale destruction, as well as in South Lebanon and the Beqaa. While debris clearance operations have begun, they are being carried out haphazardly, with little regard for the environmental damage caused or the economic benefits that could come from recycling.
Meanwhile, statements from the Ministry of Environment on safe disposal methods and debris treatment remain little more than ink on paper. Proposals include dumping debris into the sea, transporting it to unregulated landfills, or disposing of it in quarries without processing—actions that call for urgent intervention to stop this crime against the Lebanese people and their environment. Lebanon can no longer afford further environmental degradation.
War Debris Volume
An infographic shows the latest assessment conducted in collaboration between UN-Habitat Lebanon, the University of Balamand (UOB), the Center for Environmental Research in the Eastern Mediterranean (CREEMO) at Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), published on January 22, 2025. It reports that the number of buildings destroyed, fully or partially, in the governorates of the South, Nabatieh, Beqaa, and Baalbek-Hermel is around 19,537 buildings:
– 13,784 in Nabatieh
– 4,723 in the South Governorate
– 464 in the Beqaa
– 566 in Baalbek-Hermel
Compared to the total number of buildings before the conflict—about 237,425—the percentage of destroyed buildings stands at roughly 8%.
According to the same assessments, the number of housing units destroyed, fully or partially, is around 42,384 units:
– 27,181 in Nabatieh
– 12,763 in the South
– 1,359 in the Beqaa
– 1,081 in Baalbek-Hermel
More than 6 million cubic meters of rubble still lie on the ground.
The volume of debris from the destroyed buildings in these four governorates is estimated at 6,615,261 cubic meters. Marjayoun accounts for the largest share with 2,163,462 m³, followed by Bint Jbeil with 1,676,728 m³, and Tyre with 1,820,606 m³, as shown in the corresponding graphic.
The debris is estimated to weigh between 10.5 million tons at the lowest and 14 million tons at the highest, according to assessments by UN-Habitat Lebanon, the University of Balamand, and Saint Joseph University of Beirut.
In this context, the Lebanese Ministry of Environment issued a statement on December 5, outlining environmental guidelines for managing war debris. The statement stressed the importance of sorting, recycling, and safe disposal to reduce environmental and health risks. It also emphasized selecting temporary collection and final disposal sites within each governorate, and avoiding random dumping. Yet, despite these guidelines, debris removal continues to face obstacles—especially in the southern suburbs—amid concerns that dumping debris into the sea could cause severe environmental and economic damage.
Lebanese Government Approves Funds for Clearing the Rubble Left by Israeli Aggression
In December 2024, Lebanese Public Works Minister Ali Hamie announced that the government had approved the allocation of funds for damage assessment and debris removal. An amount of 900 billion LBP was allocated to the Council of the South, 900 billion LBP to the Union of Municipalities of the Southern Suburbs, and 500 billion LBP to the High Relief Commission.
Regarding the southern suburbs’ war debris in Beirut, Hamie stated:
“We do not support dumping debris into the sea. Under a Cabinet decision, there is a project to expand the Costa Brava landfill in accordance with environmental and global standards. The main goal is speed in execution and debris removal.”
However, conditions on the ground tell a different story, with debris still being dumped into the sea or transported to unregulated landfills without any treatment. Questions are also being raised about the feasibility of expanding the Costa Brava landfill and its capacity to handle such massive quantities of rubble—issues that environmental experts are actively debating.
Fadi Abi Allam, President of the Lebanese Green Party, told Silat Wassel that the amount of rubble caused by last year’s Israeli aggression far exceeds that left by the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). He attributes this to the nature of the munitions used, which completely destroyed buildings and led to unprecedented volumes of debris. Abi Allam also noted that some unexploded ordnance remains, posing risks to debris removal operations, and explained that the Lebanese army occasionally detonates these munitions.
Abi Allam emphasized the importance of turning rubble from an environmental burden into an economic resource through recycling. He noted that proper sorting can yield valuable materials such as iron, aluminum, wood, sand, and gravel, all of which can be reused in construction and road paving.
He stressed that this crisis could serve as an opportunity to reorganize damaged cities by removing illegal structures and rebuilding them sustainably, with green spaces and parks—just as any citizen of a modern, environmentally conscious country would hope for.
Abi Allam added that the Lebanese government has allocated between $40–50 million for debris transport, with some contracts already awarded and sites designated, such as quarries and the Costa Brava landfill. Each quarry will be dedicated to a specific type of sorted material to ensure proper recycling. He warned against random dumping and reiterated his rejection of sea dumping due to the ecological imbalance it causes.
He also called for mapping areas in the South contaminated by phosphorus bombs and sending soil samples to the Lebanese University’s laboratories for analysis. He highlighted modern techniques that use specially developed bacteria to treat contaminated soil, allowing life to return to normal within two to three months.
Abi Allam concluded by urging that this crisis be seized as an opportunity to redesign damaged cities in a sustainable way—removing non-compliant buildings, rebuilding with environmental awareness, and ensuring access to green spaces and gardens.
Rubble from Israeli Aggression Laden with Toxic Dust and Heavy Metals
Environmental expert Fifi Kallab told Silat Wassel that the dangers of war rubble come from multiple sources—most notably the remnants of bombs and missiles that contain heavy metals and toxic substances such as dioxins. These hazards do not dissipate immediately after an explosion; instead, the soil absorbs the pollutants, much of which remain trapped in the rubble and are released again when debris is removed.
She explained that rubble also contains construction materials—cement, metals, wood, plastic, and glass—as well as the contents of destroyed homes, including electronic and electrical devices, hazardous chemicals such as medicines and lead-based paints, and asbestos from old roofs, tanks, and water pipes, in addition to agricultural pesticides.
Kallab stressed the need for strict safety measures to protect debris removal workers and safeguard the environment, noting that this waste requires precise management and treatment to prevent contamination and protect residents from toxic and carcinogenic substances. Among these is asbestos fiber from destroyed water tanks, whose health risks are well-documented: fibers can remain in the body for up to 40 years, significantly increasing the long-term risk of lung cancer.
She agreed with Fadi Abi Allam on the dangers of dumping untreated debris into the sea, which destroys marine habitats and alters water currents, spreading pollution far beyond the dumping site.
Regarding environmental losses, Kallab said they are severe but difficult to quantify because some damaged areas remain inaccessible and no comprehensive damage survey has been conducted. She cited a World Bank report issued on September 27, 2024, which estimated environmental losses at around $221 million, and noted that Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) described South Lebanon as having been entirely transformed into a “war biosphere”, calling the situation an ecocide.
Quarry Owners Push for Sea Dumping Instead of Sorting Rubble
Kallab accused quarry and crusher owners of lobbying state officials to allow sea dumping on the grounds that sorting operations are too costly, time-consuming, and delay the return to normal life.
She countered that the cost of transport and sorting is far lower than the long-term price of mishandling debris, which increases cancer rates, burdens the state with healthcare expenses, and causes significant long-term economic losses.
Khatib & Alami Granted Exclusive Contract for Environmental Impact Study
She noted that while the government allocated about $50 million for debris removal, the World Bank earmarked roughly $250 million for the same purpose. However, corruption and contractor monopolies prevented effective use of the funds. She pointed out that debris surveys and removal were assigned through non-transparent direct agreements by the Ministry of Public Works, bypassing public tenders, and that the environmental impact study was given to a single company—Khatib & Alami.
According to Kallab, growing pressure from environmental groups and some members of parliament pushed the Ministry of Public Works to commit to adding an environmental annex to the demolition works’ tender documents.
She added:
“Three entities are responsible for rubble removal: the Union of Municipalities of the Southern Suburbs, the Council of the South, and the High Relief Commission. They were allocated funds to carry out surveys and removal according to a specific tender document. However, the absence of a unified strategy has led to chaotic execution, with each entity acting in its own interest—generating huge profits at the expense of the environment. The Union of Municipalities of the Southern Suburbs, for example, has been transporting rubble to the Costa Brava landfill, claiming there is no space to sort it and that transport costs are too high.”
Corruption and Lack of Oversight: Two Obstacles to Solving Lebanon’s Rubble Crisis
In conclusion, environmental expert Fifi Kallab said:
“Sadly, we no longer trust the state or its handling of crises—especially after witnessing how the rubble from the Beirut Port explosion was dumped into the sea.”
With the crisis of rubble from Israel’s brutal aggression on Lebanon persisting without lasting solutions—and growing fears of environmental consequences that could devastate what remains of the country’s natural resources—the calls for well-planned strategies to manage this waste are becoming more urgent than ever. The alternative—chaotic handling—risks creating dangerous ecological imbalances, making immediate environmental and community action imperative.
