Yassin: The Israeli army’s scorched earth policy led to the burning of 460 hectares of land in the south – Elnashra.com

The Caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin, pointed out, on National Environment Day, that “if the Israeli attacks on the south and the repercussions of the war on Gaza have captured everyone’s attention, to protect Lebanon from the expansion of these attacks and to provide relief… Our people in the south, who are suffering from displacement, the interruption of their livelihoods, and the deliberate burning of their lands and livelihoods, but we must stop at National Environment Day, corresponding to November 16 of each year, to emphasize the importance of preserving the environment in our country, protecting our natural resources, spreading awareness, and announcing About the most important steps achieved in this year’s fire season.”

He pointed out in a statement, “In our initial assessment of the 2023 fire season, which was prepared in cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and the Land and Natural Resources Program at the Institute of Environmental Studies of the University of Balamand, data before the recent Israeli attacks on southern forests and orchards show that “A total of 774 hectares of land, including 296 hectares of forest, have been burned this season. The remaining burned areas are mainly over grasslands and croplands.”

Yassin explained, “Despite the bad weather conditions and the high risk of forest fires during the summer and fall of 2023, which almost led to severe and catastrophic fires, as happened in many neighboring countries located on the Mediterranean basin, the results for this year show a significant decrease in the percentage of 82% compared to the average annual burned area between 2019 and 2021, which reached 4,216 hectares annually.”

He emphasized that “this continuing positive trend in reducing the area of ​​burned areas over the past two years confirms the effectiveness of the national firefighting plan, which was launched by the Ministry of Environment at the beginning of 2022. Specifically, it demonstrated that the role of first responder and warning teams Early and rapid response, with effective support and coordination at the local and national levels, including the role of the General Directorate of Civil Defense, the Lebanese Army, the Ministry of Agriculture and Municipalities, the Disaster Management Unit, and partners in international organizations and non-governmental associations, constitutes a major factor in avoiding catastrophic fires.”

He also stressed that, “In the south, the Israeli occupation army has adopted the condemned scorched earth policy since last October 8, and the deliberate bombing of border towns with phosphorus bombs, which led to the burning of no less than 460 hectares of forest land and orchards, which constitutes about 37 hectares of forest land and orchards.” % of the total land burned so far in 2023.”

Yassin informed that “the Ministry of Environment continues its national commitment to unify local and national efforts, to ensure sustainable forest management and to combat fire risks, and the Ministry is seeking additional funding to enable local community groups to address the increasing risks related to fires, especially with the increasing challenges due to the increasing risks of climate change.” Urban sprawl and the weak capacity of public administrations and municipalities.”