The United Nations (UN) has agreed to a $10 million grant to help Lebanon mitigate the impacts of the Beirut port and support reconstruction.
According to an assessment, physical damages to the Lebanese environment sector were between $20 – $25 million, with recovery and reconstruction needs estimated at $75 to $100 million.
The grant, given through the Beirut Critical Environment Recovery, Restoration and Waste Management Program, was agreed on 18 May between the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the presence of Lebanon’s Environment Minister Nasser Yassin.
“This project will implement environmental recovery activities in the city of Beirut to mitigate risks of a solid waste crisis and other environmental impacts which resulted from the port explosion,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq Regional Director.
More than 200 people died and 4,000 were injured following the explosion in Beirut on 4 August 2020 – the tragedy was caused by a fire in a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.
The explosion at the Port of Beirut consequently left Lebanon without its main trade gateway and deprived shippers of a major Mediterranean and Middle East trade hub.
On 13 August, the Beirut container terminal resumed operations as shipping lines returned to port.
Earlier this year, CMA Terminals – a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group – was chosen to manage, operate, and maintain the Port of Beirut’s container terminal.
