Hariri Foundation launches project to clean up Sidon port

Effort aims to boost fishing output

SIDON: The Hariri Foundation launched a large-scale project over the weekend to clean up waste that has accumulated over the years on the docks of the Sidon harbor and to make the harbor area more user-friendly for fishermen. The project, dubbed "The Development and Modernization of the Sidon Harbor," is expected to cost just over $650,000.

"We look forward to having the Sidon harbor regain its original shape and activity," MP Bahia Hariri told The Daily Star.

A committee of waterfront usage experts was formed earlier this year to provide the foundation with a detailed account of the needs and concerns of both the harbor and the fishermen. The committee submitted a plan for transforming the 50-year-old harbor into a more modern one and for enabling the work of fishermen. The project aims to stimulate both the fishing industry and tourism in the area.

"As a result to the detailed reports provided by the committee, the Hariri Foundation was able to get the proper funding for the project, and I think I am entitled to say that on grounds steps will materialize very soon," Hariri said.

Project engineer Abdel-Wahed Shehab won a bid to perform all renovation and cleaning work.

A foundation statement said that the cleaning of marine waste in the harbor has in the past been carried out using improper techniques, to the detriment of marine sanitation. Waste such as fishing nets and other material has drifted away from the coast and into the sea, the foundation said. Even mild winds bring waste back to the harbor, where it accumulates in the shallow water near docks. The water depth in the harbor's dockyards is less than 50 centimeters in many places.
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The project suggested techniques for extracting waste from the sea and dumping it on land.

One of the main goals of the project is to maximize fishing output. Hariri said that commercial fishing has flourished around the world in the past few years, and that the sector could provide the Lebanese economy with extra revenue.

"It is now crucial to develop and modernize such a sector for all the benefits it will provide to the fishermen, in particular, and to the Lebanese economy in general," she said.

The Sidon MP added that the infrastructure of the harbor would be renovated "so as to maximize the activity and motivate the fishermen."

Project administrator Abdel-Latif Tiryaki said that the benefits of the project will start becoming visible "once administrative steps are undertaken and endorsed."

Tiryaki said that the project offers a "holistic" plan to have the harbor renovated for easier use by fishermen.

All fishing boats will be furnished with walkie-talkies and first-aid kits, he said.

"We are also planning to have a sort of an ambulance boat in case of accidents," he added.

Teryaki said that a gas station as well as a repair shop and garage would be built inside of the harbor "so that fishermen could save up on time, money, and effort."

Teryaki added that the commercial zone inside of the harbor will be supplied with large fans and lighting so that customers "can shop at their ease without being bothered by bad smells."

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