Lebanon sinks tanks in Mediterranean to make new reef

Environmentalists dumping 10 old army tanks off the coast of a city trying to deal with a massive rubbish problem may seem counterintuitive.
However, that is exactly what one group in the Lebanese city of Sidon have done in the hope it will not only attract tourists to the region, but also create a new haven for wildlife in the Mediterranean Sea.
Onlookers watched as the tanks were lowered into the water 3km (1.8 miles) off the coast on Saturday.
The 81-year-old woman inspiring a nation to recycle
Plastic pollution: Scientists' plea on threat to ocean giants
"This will be a paradise for divers and a place where we can develop underwater life," Kamel Kozbar, of Friends of the Coast of Sidon, the group spearheading the project, told news agency AFP.
He hopes seaweed will soon cover the tanks, a gift from the army, creating the group's vision of an "underwater park" - a world away from the beaches which have not escaped Lebanon's overflowing rubbish crisis.

In January for example, pictures emerged showing mounds of rubbish dumped on the beaches north of the capital Beirut.
But this is not just an environmental project. The group have also purposefully pointed the tanks towards their southern neighbour, Israel.
According to Mr Kozbar, it was done "out of solidarity for the Palestinian people".

Source: BBC

 

The Liberum

Vox Populi, Vox Dei
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

The Algorithm of Love (part 2)

Love isn’t a performance. It’s not the right words at the right time or some […]

The Future of the Abraham Accords in Donald Trump’s second term

The Abraham Accords (2020) marked a strategic shift in Middle Eastern diplomacy by establishing formal […]

Who saves the new Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa?

Iran emerged from its eight-year war with Iraq (1980-1988) battered: its economy in shambles, no […]

Martyrdom: The aesthetics of death

A man blows himself up in a crowded shopping street. In the ensuing chaos, people […]

The Algorithm of Love (part 1)

I just received a notification from LinkedIn (tucked away in my spam folder) gently reminding […]
- by Arthur Blok on 20/01/2025

Biden mumbles and stumbles farewell while Trump gears up for his second term in office

The world can breathe a sigh of relief. Donald Trump returns to the White House […]