Lebanon woke up to devastating news a couple of weeks ago upon the collapse of a building in Tripoli and the death of the innocent 5-year-old girl Joumana Deko. Her dead body was pulled out from under the rubble, whereas several bodies of the death boat’s victims are still floating in the sea, waiting for someone to mourn them.

Joumana and her family are victims of the absence of proper and just housing policies in a "state" that is not fulfilling its responsibilities and relinquished all its roles. Despite Tripoli being the hometown of Lebanon’s richest politicians like Najib Mikati, Mohammad Al Safadi, and Faysal Karame the city is left to rot in extreme poverty.

And while Tripoli mourns the loss of its child, we almost overlooked the injury of an elderly woman, who spent the rest of her life in a cracked and uninhabitable building. She almost died because there was no old-age security or even a decent shelter for her.

This disaster will not be the last, and the question to the Tripoli-born-and-raised billionaires is why they won’t lift a finger to help the old and dilapidated buildings that risk the lives of tens of thousands of families.

We’d like to give these politicians the benefit of the doubt and say it’s an act of neglect and they truly don’t care about lives of people who elect them. Because if it weren’t their lack of acknowledgement to human basic rights, then what’s happening is intentional starvation to the people of Tripoli so they fall as submissive victims to their leaders.

It is the duty of these elected officials to provide adequate and safe housing as well as basic services and infrastructure. These basic human rights should be guaranteed to all without discrimination, especially in light of our crisis today. Such reforms can be achieved in an urgent form through the correct distribution of the resources that are now available, with a progressive tax model and just. But, it seems like all the logical solutions are being given to statues, not politicians.

 

In a clear disregard to human life, the ministry of interior and the municipality of Tripoli were aware of everything that is happening, but they preferred inaction and negligence.

On January 18, 2022, the Tripoli municipality sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, with a report attached with the real estate numbers of the cracked concrete and archaeological buildings in the city, which pose a threat to public safety. However, the aforementioned letter did not include the building located on the property No. 306 - Al Suwaiqah. Accordingly, the municipality did not warn the residents of the necessity of evacuating this building, even though it is old and includes a building violation in terms of adding an upper floor. The result was the collapse of the property, resulting in the death of Joumana and multiple injuries.

In an attempt to give a pseudo-effect of a government, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities wrote to the Ministry of Finance about the possibility of securing the necessary funding to strengthen the cracked buildings in Tripoli back in January. However, The Ministry of Finance responded that it is not the responsibility of the state, as the issue falls on the owners first and then on the municipality, in accordance with the provisions of the Building Law and the Municipalities Code.

So, in the richest municipality in Lebanon, the blame was put on the owners of buildings that are under the old-rent laws. Well, If the municipality neither provide funds for the renovation, nor access to education, jobs, healthcare, or simple street renovations, then where are the funds going?

The irony is, this same government which allowed the collapse to happen had promised the citizens that it will be their savior. The officials are now promising a housing allowance for the inhabitants of both the collapsed building and the adjacent building that was evacuated. They also promised to provide all the equipment needed for rescue operations, take full care of the wounded, treat them at the expense of the Ministry of Health, and secure alternative housing for the affected families.

However, before making these worn-out promises, wouldn't it be better to prevent the next collapse so that we don't have to repeat the same promises occasionally as if they are a must-have in every political speech.

The incident that claimed the life of a girl opened eyes to dozens of other buildings that are in danger of collapsing, while those concerned are talking about a plan to rehabilitate the old buildings for fear of falling on the heads of their residents.

The father, Khaled Deko, tries to consolidate his mourning heart that the death of his daughter may save dozens of lives in poor neighborhoods as reports have shown that their area is full of buildings that are inhabitable.

About 236 properties in the city are threatened with collapse or are in danger of collapse, and need restoration and strengthening. However, we know that the palaces of Najib Mikati, Mohammad Al Safadi, Ashraf Rifi and won’t be one of those buildings, as they are well protected from damage, and from the anger of the people.

While they hid in their high-built walls, they rushed to hush out the rage with a plan to restore buildings, but citizens are now well-aware that these are just tools to silence their voices. But, nothing will quite us other than the long-awaited translation of words into actions.

 

To every elected official in Tripoli, starting from the richest billionaire in Lebanon, Najib Mikati to the municipality president Riyad Yamaq, when will it be worth your while to save the lives of the residents whose extreme poverty and destitution will force them to stay in such condition until you decide to end their death sentence?