In a disgusting scene, piles of accumulated waste surround the alleys and neighborhoods and block the entrances of homes in Old Sidon, exacerbating the suffering of its residents amid power and water outages and the absence of even the most basic state services, amidst stifling living and economic crises, soaring costs, and rising prices. The accumulation of waste is attributed to the workers of the waste collection company ceasing to remove it at the required pace due to delays in allowing trucks into the solid waste sorting plant in Seneq under various pretexts, including discussions of its closure for three days during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which means leaving tons of waste lying around without supervision despite numerous appeals.
The suffering of the town's residents is particularly grave this time, endangering families and their children's health and safety. Their ordeal is not limited to foul odors and flies; it further extends to the spread of worms from the waste due to its accumulation for days, rising temperatures, humidity, and power and water interruptions, forcing the residents to keep their windows open and exposing children to various bites, leading to small red spots and allergies on their bodies.
Fatima Adlouni told "Nidaa Al-Watan," "The situation has become unbearable, no water, no electricity, and no waste collection. Our lives have turned into a hell, and we cannot close the windows due to the heat and humidity. We've started collecting money among ourselves to remove the waste, but the living crisis has prevented us from completing this matter. So where are the officials?"
In one of the narrow, waste-filled alleys emitting foul odors, stands the girl Ameena Hassan Baydawi, suffering from a cold, covering her nose with her hand, lifting her sweater to show the insect bites on her body, and says: "What is my fault for not being able to sleep at night because of the bites, and the worms have started spreading near the houses, and we can't close the windows due to the heat and humidity?"
Mariam Yahya Salama states, "We no longer close our eyes at night; the worms roam the ground, and flies are spreading everywhere. My son suffers from headaches, and when I close the window, he has difficulty breathing, and we can't afford to buy him medicine. Our suffering is multiplied without electricity or water. We tried to raise money to remove the waste at our own expense, but many families can't afford it; some are unemployed, and others are sick and rely on aid. It's death itself and without any shouting."
The suffering of the Sidonians is not confined to Old Sidon; it extends to all neighborhoods in the city, and its residents express a common sentiment, filled with great resentment toward the political powers, questioning the fate of the general conference being prepared in Sidon's municipality to address their issues and alleviate their suffering amid the living crises. Why has it not been held yet? Are there obstacles preventing it, and why all this waiting that opens the door to more burdens and chaos controlled by mafias, threatening social explosion?
The political official of the "Islamic Group" in the South, Dr. Bassam Hamoud, emphasized to "Nidaa Al-Watan" the necessity of forming a political and social support framework for the city that stands by the residents and seeks ways to alleviate the crisis and tackle urgent problems while confronting anyone who exploits the absence of the state to impose pressure on citizens, stressing that "the time is now for solidarity, not competition. People are looking to us and waiting for us to fulfill our responsibilities, but unfortunately, nothing has been translated into action on the ground yet. I call on all authorities once again to form an emergency crisis cell because now is the time to act and it does not allow for waiting, competition, or disputes."
MP Osama Saad, who launched an initiative to gather powers and influential figures to create a roadmap for addressing the issues, did not hesitate to warn against the chaos in generator pricing. He contacted Prime Minister Najib Mikati and urged him to mobilize state agencies and institutions to protect citizens from the arbitrariness of generator owners and the unfair bills that violate the Ministry of Energy's pricing, also filing a report to the Southern Public Prosecutor, Judge Raef Ramadan, against generator owners who violate the official pricing issued by the Ministry of Energy, demanding legal measures to ensure compliance and avoid violations, pointing to the dangerous results on stability that may arise from the continuation of generator owners' injustices and excesses against citizens.
Meanwhile, MP Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bazari followed up on the issue of power and water outages in Sidon and its surroundings and the continued suffering of residents amid the failure of generator owners to adhere to the official pricing and compliance with what is issued by the Ministry of Energy. He made calls to the Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, and the Minister of Energy, Walid Fayyad, as well as to the President of the Lebanese Electricity Authority, Kamal Hayek, and Samer Abdullah, to increase electricity supply hours, especially since the old historic city has been without electricity and water for weeks, and the halting of generator operations in that area exposes people to the risk of diseases and drought.
