In Lebanon, 80% of the beaches are privatized by luxury hotels or restaurants. There are still some places accessible for free, but poorly maintained.
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On the Lebanese coast, the beach of Ramlet el-Baida is an exception: it is the only free beach in Beirut. Before the economic crisis, most Lebanese used to pay an entrance ticket to go swimming. But since the collapse of the country, many can no longer afford it and come to this beach. “A private beach with my whole family costs me between 70 and 80 dollars“, says Haytham, 50, who comes out of the water with his wife and two children.In Lebanon, our wages have collapsed. So 80 dollars is what we spend to live on for a week. It’s not very clean here, it’s true, but it’s the only public beach in the area.“, continues the father of the family.
It is true that this beach is dirty, because nobody cleans it. The sand is strewn with cigarette butts and plastic bags. Bathers leave garbage cans there, but hotels also dump their rubbish nearby. Above all, for ten years now, part of Beirut’s sewers have flowed directly onto the beach. “It’s a whole mafia, everyone is paid to destroy this public beach and privatize it”, gets angry Effat Idris, president of the environmental association Operation Big Blue. According to her, property developers and corrupt politicians want to privatize this beach. She accuses them of deliberately polluting the site to scare away users.
“Unfortunately, you shouldn’t swim here, like in many beaches in Lebanon.”
Effat Idrisenvironmental activist
According to a study by the Lebanese CNRS, a third of the coastline is today unsuitable for swimming. If bacteria abound in the sea, it is because the treatment plants are almost all shut down. Many Lebanese are therefore afraid to swim in the Mediterranean. This is a godsend for private beaches that have pools by the sea where the water is filtered. Those who can afford it can therefore continue to swim quietly, without risk to their health.