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By Moutaz Ahmed.
Benghazi, 24 May 2014:
Killings and fighting between the forces of retired general Khalifa Hafter and Ansar A-Sharia and 17 . . .[restrict]February Brigade are not the only issues people in Benghazi have to worry about. There is an environmental disaster beckoning.
Huge piles of rubbish continue to grow in Benghazi following a garbage collectors’ strike. The sheer volume of refuse now poses a health risk as the temperature increases in the already beleaguered eastern city.
Chairman of the Board of Directors for Public Services in Benghazi Salem Shoui told the Libya Herald that rubbish collectors began striking in May over delayed pay, better facilities at headquarters and the provision of health insurance. He said many of the public services company’s 5,400 employees had not received their salaries for at least three months.
Others at the cleaning subsidiary have received no money for half a year, he added.
Shoui said the workers had experienced a great deal of suffering over the delays and needed to provide for their families. He said government officials in Tripoli had, in a number of meetings, promised to free up the necessary funds for the payment of salaries but these had been empty words.
Shoui said their actions had been “criminal “and added that now he did not know where to turn.
The massive piles of rubbish are starting to have an effect far beyond just their noxious stench. The garbage is attracting animals and mosquitoes. It is causing traffic jams where it blocking the roads. More than this, as a breeding ground for illnesses, the elderly and the young are put particularly at risk by the trash.
Residents have taken to burning the rubbish in their efforts to reduce it. However, they are unaware of the health implications even this may have as they breath in the fumes. [/restrict]
