Beirut’s River of Trash: What Can We Learn From It?

A view of the built up pile of waste on a street in Beirut’s northern suburb of Jdeideh

A river of trash?

Yes, there is a ‘river of trash’ in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

It is amazing to see trash arranged in a line like a river for miles through the city.

This was caused due to the closing of the country’s landfill in July 2015.

I think due to the political deadlock in Lebanon, its government is unable to function properly and that had caused lots of trouble for its people.

Due to the political crisis in Lebanon, the country has yet to elect a new president after the previous president, Michel Suleiman resigned on May 2014.

Al Jazeera, in its article, ‘What’s to become of Lebanon?’ reported that:

“But the Lebanese are a divided people, and that is a major cause for trepidation,” – Al Jazeera

That is what happened when its people are too divided and failed to work together in order to build a stronger nation.

Now protests were held in Beirut regarding the trash problems that injured hundreds of people including the police.

My question is, can protests solve this problem?

Some people see this as their human right, the right to make street protest when they are not happy.

But instead of going to the streets to protest, it is better if the people of Lebanon be united and make sure that they have a strong government that can take care of them.

This can happen anywhere in the world, including in Malaysia if our government is unable to function properly due to political instability.

Our government needs to solve problems that are actually created by people who are against the government instead of solving the real problems faced by our country, and this can bring us to destruction and cause chaos to Malaysia.

That is why we must be careful or we too will be facing problems like the people of Lebanon, or even worst like what happened to the people of Libya, Egypt and others.

Political differences must not be the reason to destroy our country, for if that happened it is the people who will be suffering.

The overflowing piles of rubbish are threatening the water supply and people continue to burn garbage, despite a government ban, filling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants and carcinogens.

The British firm chosen to export the rubbish to Russia for disposal, Chinook Urban Mining, failed to obtain documents proving Russia had agreed to accept the waste, annulling the deal, government agency the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR) said.

The overflowing piles of rubbish are threatening the water supply and people continue to burn garbage, despite a government ban, filling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants and carcinogens.

A view of the built up pile of waste on a street in Beirut’s northern suburb of Jdeideh

18 Killed in Banjarnegara East Java Landslide

Saksi mata mengatakan longsor seperti ‘dinding lumpur’

A landslide triggered by torrential rain has killed at least 18 people and left 90 others missing in Dusun Jemblung, Desa Sampang, Kabupaten Banjarnegara, in central Java (Jawa Tengah), Indonesia.

AFP reported that the landslide swept down a hillside in the village, sparing only two houses.

The ground was still unstable and most rescue work was being carried out manually.

Only two houses remain standing while the others were swept away by the disaster.

Jalan yang longsor di Banjarnegara yang membuat 5 desa terisolasi (Liputan6.com/Idhad Zakaria)

A rescue team searches for survivors and remove bodies after a landslide at Jemblung village in Banjarnegara, central Java province, on December 13, 2014 (AFP Photo/Dida Nuswantara)

A rescue team carry away a cow after a landslide at Jemblung village in Banjarnegara, central Java province, on December 13, 2014 (AFP Photo/Dida Nuswantara)

Photos, Video: Tornado-Like Wind Hit Pandamaran, Klang

A screengrab from a viral video of the “twister” in Klang. (The Star)

NST reported that a severe thunderstorm and strong wind wreaked havoc in Pandamaran, damaging some 30 houses and apartment blocks.

A twister-like winds blew off roofs and uprooting trees around the area.

The thunderstorm also caused several boats at a jetty near Kunci Air Jalan Banting, Pandamaran to sink.

Several areas including Meru and Kampung Delek were flooded.

Please click the photos for larger images:

Kelihatan beberapa pokok tumbang selepas dilanda ribut di Pandamaran. – Foto BERNAMA

Image credit to Lee Fu Hae/ Berita Harian

Image credit to Lee Fu Hae/ Berita Harian

Keadaan di sekitar Pandamaran selepas puting beliung melanda daerah itu sehingga merosakkan 72 buah rumah di Pangsapuri PKNS, Pandamaran Jaya di Klang, hari ini. – UTUSAN/IHSAN PEMBACA UTUSAN ONLINE

Earthquake Hit Yunnan, China, 391 Killed

A general view shows collapsed houses after an earthquake hit Ludian county, Yunnan province August 3, 2014. (REUTERS/China Daily)

At least 391 people were killed by an earthquake that struck Yunnan, China on Sunday afternoon.

About 1,891 others were injured by the quake that struck about 11km (7 miles) north-west of Wenping in Yunnan province at 16:30 local time (08:30 GMT) on Sunday.

About 12,000 homes collapsed while 30,000 others were damaged during the disaster.

The quake was the strongest to hit Yunnan in 14 yea rs.

Here are some photos of the disaster…

Photos: Typhoon Rammasun Shuts Down Manila, 13 killed

Strong winds from Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) uprooted a decades-old tree which fell on a red car.

Typhoon Rammasun is the first major typhoon of the season that hit the Philippines.

Locally as “Glenda”, the category 3 hurricane made landfall near Legazpi City on Tuesday evening.

At least 13 people were killed across the country.

Ferocious wind gusts approaching 200 kilometres (120 miles) an hour, tore roofs off houses, overturned cars and ripped down electricity lines in Manila, as well as remote fishing villages hundreds of kilometres away.

People walk among debris and a boat destroyed by strong winds brought by Typhoon Rammasun in Manila

Millions were without electricity.

Please click the photos for larger images:

Motorists pick their way past fallen trees along a highway as Typhoon Rammasun exacts a toll on Manila.

A resident stands near waves in Legazpi City, southeast of Manila, on July 15, 2014 as authorities warned of approaching Typhoon Rammasun. Thousands of people fled their homes and ships sheltered from heavy seas in the Philippines on July 15, as the first major storm of the rainy season strengthened into a typhoon. AFP PHOTO/Charism SayatCharism SAYAT/AFP/Getty Images

A fisherman’s house in the middle of a fish pen leans to one side as it is pounded by waves, strong winds and rain brought by Typhoon Rammasun (known locally as Glenda) in the coastal town of Bacoor, Cavite, southwest of Manila, July 16, 2014. (REUTERS/Erik De Castro)

Vehicle traverse a road littered by debris from fallen trees brought by strong winds as Typhoon Rammasun (locally named Glenda) hit Paranaque, Metro Manila, July 16, 2014. (REUTERS/Erik De Castro)

Residents wade along flooded roads as Typhoon Rammasun batters suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. Typhoon Rammasun knocked out power in many areas but it spared the Philippine capital, Manila, and densely-populated northern provinces from being directly battered Wednesday when its fierce wind shifted slightly away, officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents wade through floods as they go back to their home while Typhoon Rammasun batters suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. Typhoon Rammasun knocked out power in many areas but it spared the Philippine capital, Manila, and densely-populated northern provinces from being directly battered Wednesday when its fierce wind shifted slightly away, officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Typhoon Rammasun: Philippines on Red Alert

Typhoon Rammasun, also known as Typhoon “Glenda,” is set to strike the Bicol region in the east of the country at 6:00pm (1000 GMT), with Manila and other heavily populated areas also expected to be hit early Wednesday, the state weather service said.

It will bring very strong wind with center winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of 150 kilometers an hour.

The strong wind is expected to topple trees and electric poles, and may even rip roofs off poorly constructed houses.

The typhoon had a diameter of 500 kilometers and will cause a large amount of rain that could cause flash flooding and landslides.

People living in coastal areas in the Provinces of Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Northern Samar that is threatened by storm surges were ordered to evacuate their homes.

Schools in several cities were closed and about 50 domestic flights and four international flights have been cancelled, along with ferry services.

Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake Hits Mexico, Guatemala

A damaged house is pictured in the San Marcos region, in the northwest of Guatemala, in this July 7, 2014 handout picture by Guatemala’s municipal fire department. A strong earthquake shook the Guatemalan border with Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier, and much of the damage was reported in the Guatemalan border region of San Marcos, where it downed power lines, opened cracks in buildings and triggered landslides which blocked roads. (REUTERS/Municipal fire department/Handout via Reuters)

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the Pacific Coast jolted a wide area of southern Mexico and Central America Monday, killing at least three people and damaging dozens of homes.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 6:23 a.m. (7:23 a.m. EDT; 11:23 GMT) on the Pacific Coast 1 mile (2 kilometers) north-northeast of Puerto Madero, near the Guatemala border. It initially calculated the magnitude at 7.1 but later lowered the figure to 6.9. (AP)

Please click the photos for larger images:

In this photo released by Bomberos Departamentales, or regional firefighters, firefighters check a home that collapsed during an earthquake in San Pedro, Guatemala, Monday, July 7, 2014. A magnitude-6.9 earthquake on the Pacific Coast jolted a wide area of southern Mexico and Central America Monday. (AP Photo/Bomberos Departamentales)

Residents clean up debris at a restaurant damaged by an earthquake in the town of Huixtla, Mexican state of Chiapas July 7, 2014. A strong earthquake shook the Guatemalan border with Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier, and much of the damage was reported in the Guatemalan border region of San Marcos, where it downed power lines, opened cracks in buildings and triggered landslides which blocked roads. (REUTERS/Juan Manuel Blanco)

A crack on the floor is seen after an earthquake in the town of Huixtla, Mexican state of Chiapas July 7, 2014. A strong earthquake shook the Guatemalan border with Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier, and much of the damage was reported in the Guatemalan border region of San Marcos, where it downed power lines, opened cracks in buildings and triggered landslides which blocked roads. (REUTERS/Juan Manuel Blanco)

Residents stand next a building damaged by an earthquake in the town of Huixtla, Mexican state of Chiapas July 7, 2014. A strong earthquake shook the Guatemalan border with Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier, and much of the damage was reported in the Guatemalan border region of San Marcos, where it downed power lines, opened cracks in buildings and triggered landslides which blocked roads. (REUTERS/Juan Manuel Blanco)

Municipal firefighters stand outside a damaged building in the San Marcos region, in the northwest of Guatemala, in this July 7, 2014 handout picture by Guatemala’s municipal fire department. A strong earthquake shook the Guatemalan border with Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier, and much of the damage was reported in the Guatemalan border region of San Marcos, where it downed power lines, opened cracks in buildings and triggered landslides which blocked roads. (REUTERS/Municipal fire department/Handout via Reuters)

Emergency workers on the scene of the earthquake damage in Guatemala. (BMunicipalesDeptales via Twitter @CBMDEPTAL)

#MH370: Missing Plane Has Not Landed At Diego Garcia

There were reports that MH370 was re-directed to Diego Garcia following confirmation that the aircraft had made an ‘air turn back’.

However, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 did not land on Diego Garcia, British India Ocean Territory as what is claimed.

According to the New Straits Times, the acting Transport Minister said that there was also no ransom sought by any party, to date.

Datuk Seri Hishamuddin, who is also the defense minister said, “No, there has not. And that makes it very difficult for us to verify whether it is hijacked or terrorist (act of terrorism). (We look into) all possibilities. We don’t take (anything) for granted”.

Shocking Video Of Giant Sinkhole Swallowing Houses In Rio Slum

Terrifying: Residents in a town in the north of Brazil screamed in horror as they watched their homes disappear into massive sink holes on the weekend. MailOnline.

Mail Online reported that:

“Residents in a town in the north of Brazil screamed in horror as they watched their homes disappear into massive sink holes on the weekend. “

The CCTV footage below shows how a giant sinkhole, which is reportedly caused by water erosion, opened up and swallowed house after house the city of Abaetetuba, in the northern state of Para in Brazil.

Please watch the video closely to see how panic residents frantically running to a house on the right of the screen as a woman on the first floor resorted to desperate measures by throwing her child out of a window. 

The child was caught and was quickly carried away by helpers.

The neighbours then brought a ladder to the house to help the woman escaped just before the building was swallowed into the sinkhole.

Luckily, nobody was injured in the disaster.

The area was affected by the erosion borders the Maracatuíra river, which runs through the town.

According to environmental experts who have been inspecting the area, the construction of houses close to the river and the uncontrolled growth of the neighbourhood are at the root of the problem, and are the main cause of the tragedy.

The removal of vegetation from the an area close to the banks affects the soils rate of absorption. 

Water that would have previously infiltrated tree and plant roots is no longer absorbed naturally and with nowhere to go soaks into and begins to erode the earth.

In Photos: Midwest Tornadoes

A garage in the Town of Hustisford collapsed and walls were turned inside-out after severe weather moved through the area Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Sunday, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter. (AP Photo/Dodge County Emergency Management, Joseph Meagher)

Reuters reported that, the city of Washington, Illinois, was hard-hit by what the National Weather Service called a “large and extremely dangerous” tornado, with photos showing buildings reduced to rubble and homes torn in half in the city of 15,000 people some 145 miles southwest of Chicago. 

U.S. weather officials said that a fast-moving storm system spawned multiple tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana, threatening some 53 million people across 10 Midwestern states on Sunday

Please click the photos for larger images: 

A tornado left a path of devastation through the north end of Pekin, Il.,Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Sunday, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter. (AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky)

A view of part of Washington, Ill. is seen from Mackenzie Street in Washington, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 after a tornado moved through the area. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Sunday, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter and even prompting officials at Soldier Field in Chicago to evacuate the stands and delay the Bears game. (AP Photo/Alex Kareotes)

Washington, Ill., firefighters stand in the middle of Devonshire Street on the North side of Washington, Ill., after a tornado leveled at least fifty homes, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. High winds that followed the tornado are causing danger as homeowners and emergency workers try to search homes. (AP Photo/The Pantagraph, Steve Smedley)

Chuck Phillips looks out at the destruction that tore off part of his roof and left houses around him destroyed after a tornado left a path of devastation through the north end of Pekin, Il.,Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Sunday, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter. (AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky) MANDATORY CREDIT

Webster Groves firefighters Chris Manita, center, and Matt Grossenhieder climb over a tree that fell on a house on Clydehurst Drive in Webster Groves, Mo., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. The residents of the house were home at the time the tree fell but were not injured. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across a number of Midwestern states Sunday, causing damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter and even prompting officials at Soldier Field in Chicago to evacuate the stands and delay the Bears game. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson)

Josh Ramsey recovers items from a house of a family friend after a tornado left a path of devastation through the north end of Pekin, Ill., hitting right about noon Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Sunday, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter. (AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky)