The damage caused by the explosion extended over a distance of 8 km
It affected about 62 thousand housing units and 20 thousand commercial establishments
Economic losses estimated at more than 3 billion dollars
968 heritage buildings were damaged to varying degrees

Although a year has passed since the massive explosion of the Port of Beirut, its economic and social repercussions still weigh heavily on the Lebanese capital and its residents.

Since August 4, 2020, the date of the explosion, the details of daily life in the city have changed, in conjunction with the stagnation of the reconstruction process, despite international and local initiatives.

The huge explosion killed about 200 people and injured about 6 thousand others, as well as massive material damage to residential buildings and commercial establishments.

And if some associations and non-governmental organizations have contributed to the rehabilitation and restoration of some homes and shops, the largest part of them has remained unchanged since that day, in addition to the destruction of the infrastructure.

According to the researcher at the International Information Company (Private), Muhammad Shams Al-Din, in a previous statement to Anadolu Agency, the damage caused by the explosion extended over a distance of 8 km, affecting about 62,000 housing units and 20,000 commercial establishments.

** Constant economic disruption

Today, a year after the disaster, Shams El-Din says, the city suffers from a disruption in the economic cycle that existed before the explosion, as about 3,000 commercial establishments in Beirut are still out of service.

These institutions either closed their doors permanently due to economic difficulties, or are waiting to be restored, while others have moved outside the capital, according to Shams al-Din.

He added to Anadolu Agency, that this reality causes economic losses estimated at more than 3 billion dollars, noting at the same time that many families have not returned to their homes yet, waiting for their rehabilitation.

Most of those affected by the explosion complain that the insurance companies have not yet paid them compensation, with the exception of a small part of them, claiming (the companies) that the results of the official investigations regarding the cause of the explosion have not been released.

According to a previous report by the Beirut Syndicate of Engineers, 2,500 buildings were directly affected, 300 of which are in danger of collapsing, 250 are subject to separation in some parts, and 550 have cracks and need restoration.

** Heritage buildings in danger of collapsing

In addition to homes and commercial establishments, 968 heritage buildings were damaged to varying degrees (from the 19th century to the 1930s), of which 360 were severely damaged.

According to the latest data of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture obtained by Anatolia, 90 heritage buildings were badly damaged by the explosion and were in danger of collapsing, and only about 20 percent of them have been restored to date.

Also, about 102 heritage buildings were partially damaged or lost their roofs of tiles, and to date, 60 percent of those buildings have been restored.

** Destroyed infrastructure

As for the major economic losses, they are concentrated in infrastructure, such as the port, roads, the water and sewage network, and the electricity company, and their cost is estimated at about $15 billion, according to economist Patrick Mardini.

Mardini pointed out that the cost of renovating homes and commercial establishments is estimated at about $3 billion, noting that most of these establishments and shops are still closed.

**Social and psychological repercussions

Unemployment is one of the most prominent social repercussions left by the explosion in the capital, given that many commercial establishments have closed their doors, either due to damage or financial difficulties, according to Mardini.

Perhaps the biggest impact was the psychological factor that hit the morale of citizens, who were mainly suffering from economic difficulties, as a result of the country’s financial crisis and its coincidence with the Corona pandemic, according to the spokesman.

He pointed out that the explosion dealt a fatal blow to the Lebanese people, and created a general state of frustration that had a great social and psychological impact on all residents of the capital.

The explosion of the port of Beirut increased the repercussions of the worst economic crisis in Lebanon in its modern history, which led to a financial collapse, the deterioration of the purchasing power of most of the population, and a scarcity of fuel, medicine and other basic commodities.

** Environmental effects

Even the air inhaled by the residents of the capital was not spared from the explosion, and the effect of this continues to this day, and according to environmental experts, air pollution with dust is recording high rates in the affected area of ​​the capital.

The specialist in the study of air quality, Professor Najat Saliba, attributed that to the damage caused to buildings and the subsequent demolition and restoration work, which leads to air polluting emissions.

In addition, the quantities of rubble and debris collected inside and outside the port in the form of scrap hills are still waiting to be treated in an appropriate environmental manner, according to Saliba, a professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut.

She also pointed to the tons of wheat and grain thrown out by the explosion from the destroyed silos in the port, noting that these grains are contaminated, and expresses her fears of feeding them to animals and livestock, or disposing of them in a non-environmental way, for example, throwing them in the sea.

The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Michel Najjar, announced last March that a French company is developing a study to find out the best way to remove the rubble and clean the port, but to date the removal work has not started yet.

What is exacerbating the economic, social and environmental repercussions is a political crisis afflicting the country represented in the failure to form a new government since the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab resigned 6 days after the explosion.

Observers believe that the failure to form a new government makes it difficult for the city of Beirut to rise again, especially the reconstruction of the port, and the formation of the government opens the door to foreign aid, and this has not happened until today.

Anatolia