After a long absence of 44 years (1978), cholera came upon us again. It is one of the many consequences of the collapse. It is a natural result of the collapse of the infrastructure of electricity, water, waste treatment such as garbage and sewage, the decline in food safety, the disintegration of state administrations, and its well-known historical corruption, all of which did not originate with the financial collapse in 2019, but rather preceded it by many years. Now we watch the tails of the long movie that seems endless.
Cholera, hepatitis, or the plague are nothing yet to surprise us. Cholera is a product of water and food contamination in general. It is characterized by rapid spread and severe diarrhea, which kills primarily children, the sick and the elderly. It always grows in poor environments that today do not have the ability to fight it by obtaining clean water for drinking and use as well. This applies today to most Lebanese regions, similar to the Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps. Why? Because the cost of sterilization by boiling water or sterilizing tablets is no longer within the reach of the rich as a result of the crazy high prices of gas and diesel. But in cities and well-to-do neighborhoods, no one should sleep on silk, because the water for use that you buy daily for buildings is almost all polluted, and its sources, from the wells or the stolen water networks of the state, are polluted or contaminated very quickly. The movement of people, in one of the most densely populated countries in the world, can pollute these sources at a dangerous speed. After that, it is sufficient to wash your hands or your vegetables with this polluted water... It is a story of time.
In any case, the solution does not lie in individual protection, because that is almost impossible. It is enough for the servant of the leader or the billionaire, who comes from the poor suburbs or is connected to it, to give his master a cup of water or a box of Kleenex for the miracle to happen! The individual solution is very expensive and never safe, even for the rich. The only solution lies in protecting the sources, that is, simply returning the institutions to work before the disease turned into a comprehensive epidemic, to secure water, electricity and waste treatment. The rest is gossip.
Today, we can repeat the scene of the civil war that lasted 16 years, from which we both suffered, waiting for international conferences to end it while we chanted the strength of Lebanon in its weakness, or when we chanted the song “Give us childhood, give us peace” and see what amazes the world. We really surprised the world!
We can also wake up and take responsibility for defending our rights and be convinced that this country is not a monopoly of the kings of sects and seek to remove their direct or undeclared authority. What do you choose in the time of cholera?
Lebanon Consumer Association
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