The Beirut Port, on the afternoon of August 7th, saw two consecutive blasts which tattered the capital and shattered the already disturbed social integrity of Lebanon. Considered to be one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions, the United States Geological Survey claimed the explosion to be a “seismic” event with a 3.3 magnitude- the tremors of which were felt in the neighbouring countries (Turkey, Israel, and Syria). The cause of the explosion can be attributed to the 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) that was being stored in a warehouse at the port for six years, after having been confiscated by the Lebanese Government.
Seeing the disregard for the lives of the citizens, the warehouse being just a few minutes’ walk from Beirut’s shopping and nightlife district, the people of Lebanon took to the streets for protests after the Lebanese Government had declared a two-week state of emergency. The question thus arises: Why would the people of Lebanon deem it necessary to take to the streets amidst an ongoing pandemic for an accident which the authorities had seemingly no control over? The answer lies in the already existent crumbling economy of the State and the absolute inefficiency of the government. The inability to take proper measures, on the part of the government, for storage of such explosives was the reason which exacerbated the situation and led to the immense outburst of the people, eventually resulting in the resignation of the entire governing body.
THE LEBANON CRISIS:
An alarm was raised on Lebanon’s socio-economic crisis on the 10th of July, 2020, by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. With Lebanon being one of the top countries in terms of inequality, it has been reported that only 1% of the population, the richest, receive a quarter of the total national income while the bottom 50% is left with only 10% of the total national income. Such discrepancies, with evident corruption on part of the ministers, have led the country to face its current socio-economic crisis with the situation getting worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most prominent problems being:
- Massive inflation has taken place. The prices of the bare commodities have increased by 50% for three months in a row.
- Around 3.5 million people, which attributes to nearly 65% – 70% of the population, are living in poverty.
- The on-going pandemic has rendered thousands without a job, with the current unemployment rate being 6.2% of the total population and steadily rising. No effective government measures were taken to help those affected with several non-payment of salaries being reported.
- Around 2,50,000 migrant workers have lost their jobs, have not been paid their salaries, and have been rendered homeless.
After the blast, the adversities being faced by Lebanon have further been enhanced in the following ways:
- Lebanon has suffered a loss of approximately 15 billion US dollars, in addition to the prior debts of the country.
- The destruction has left around 3,00,000 people homeless with an insurmountable loss to property, official buildings, and the entirety of Beirut Port. The Beirut Port is responsible for the handling of 50% of incoming goods, where 80% of the food in Lebanon is imported. This has led to adverse effects with respect to the shortage of food, resulting in near-famine situations.
- Hospitals are overrun with victims atop the corona positive patients.
- The infrastructure and order are disrupted with rates of poverty and homelessness facing an exponential rise. There is also an increasing hostility of the current political crisis.
- The government’s constant mismanagement of debt has led to the rapid depreciation of lira, where the currency has now lost 78% of its value since last October. It has also been reported that banks are controlling citizen withdrawal amounts.
Written by- Sukanya Chaudhury
REFERENCES:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Lebanon#Corruption
- https://tradingeconomics.com/lebanon/unemployment-rate
- https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/04/middleeast/beirut-explosion-port-intl/index.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/opinion/lebanon-corruption-beirut-explosion.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanon-currency-economy-crisis/2020/06/26/9e2c62ea-b712-11ea-9a1d-d3db1cbe07ce_story.html
- https://www.livemint.com/news/world/beirut-explosion-world-leaders-offer-help-support-to-lebanon-11596594065794.html