So it's the season to be jolly... the lights are up, the jingles are deafening, and the temperature is in the mid-twenties?

No rain, no wind, not even a light breeze... and the smog keeps piling on.

The city is alive, day and night, to warm, summer-like weather - skirts abound, bellies bare, and not even the slightest worry on the minds of the masses.

It hasn't rained in 2 weeks, or more, and of course everyone's preoccupied with the Mehlis Report, the Xmas shopping, or simply being seen.

Nobody seems to give a shit that it has been a week since I last could see Beirut from the mountains.

And that, at about 400-500 meters, the smog is so thick, that it's like driving through dense fog every day.

So here I can thank god or allah, or whoever I need to thank, for having blessed me with an apartment at 800 meters above sea level, where the sky is blue and the air is fresh, but what about the rest of the population living on the coast (accounting for over 70% of the Lebanese Population?)

Well, maybe this will wake them up:

Hundreds treated over Tehran smog

More than 1,600 people have been taken to hospitals in Tehran as pollution in the Iranian capital reaches critical levels, health officials have said.

Hospitals have reported increased cases of heart attacks and breathing problems, while many residents are complaining of fatigue and headaches.

Public offices and schools have been closed in an attempt to reduce traffic, and clear the city's blanket of smog.

Authorities have warned of thousands of casualties if pollution levels persist.

There is no wind or rain and the dirty air is trapped on top of the city by the mountains surrounding it, reports the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.

Sheydar Malik Afzeli, the head of the anti pollution unit of the health ministry, speaking to Ettemad newspaper, said the extent of deaths and casualties from pollution were "not less" than those in the plane crash in the capital on Tuesday which killed more than 100 people.

However there is no official confirmation of any smog-related deaths.

From Monday, cars will only be allowed into the city centre on alternate days, depending on whether their number plates start with odd or even numbers.

Authorities have blamed the severe smog on emissions from the capital's three million cars, many of which lack modern exhaust filters.

It is estimated that up to 5,000 people die every year from air pollution in the city.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/4516430.stm

Published: 2005/12/10 14:46:20 GMT

© BBC MMV

Will people ever take note?

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