Written by Hasna Jeitani
Translated by Assaad Maalouf

Every June the smokes burst over the villages of Donnieh, not because of flames but due to coal industries, some of which are organized to certain extent while some are just set up randomly between residential neighborhoods.

The increase in number of coal factories in the region and their outspread to villages in the central part of Zgharta drove people to scream high against the bad and unhealthy smells, and to register their protest via social media and call upon the state to intervene and stop these factories so as to have mercy on the environment and public health.

In this context, Priest Raed raised his voice high to stop these factories that worsen people's health due to their poisonous carbon dioxide substances that badly affect the environment, agriculture and human.

On the other hand, there are other voices emanating from workers in coal factories saying that no harms are resulting from such factories as the coal is being prepared in a well-organized method, and complaining at the same time that they are suffering from the foreign competition in coal market that "destroyed our houses as such job could no more ensure our livelihood same as in the past."

Abu Assaad, one of the workers in the coal factory, said that he used to ensure all the school fees of his children from coal trade, but now the whole product of one factory unit could barely satisfy the average of one month livelihood."

He said, "The import of coal destroyed the house of coal industrialists who are poor farmers that used to rely on the seasons of the start of autumn and spring to ensure their livelihood."

Some farmers that work in coal factories may fail to understand the extent of the harm caused by coal industry on them and the environment, yet it is for sure that coal traders know the nature of the harm resulting from the poisonous gaseous substances and the dust - things that hurt the respiratory system of the farmers in a direct way and leave negative effect on trees at the long run.

In the past, they used to describe coal as black gold. But nowadays, the coal industry is failing to satisfy the costs and efforts resulting from the work due to the foreign competition in market.

=================A.M.