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Lebanese Oil Spill Cleanup Lethargic

Efforts to cleanup a massive oil spill along Lebanon`s Mediterranean coast have yet to really get off the ground. Over one month since Israel bombed a power plant in Jiyeh that released thousands of tons of oil into the ocean, aid groups are still finding it difficult to implement their cleanup. The Lebanese Civil Defense agency began to clean the oil near the Rauche port in Beirut on Friday.

"We know it is dangerous for the oil to be there, especially when it is so close to the water line that people get their water from, but the government has not been so free in letting us do our work. I hope it changes soon," said Jana Nakhal, a logistics coordinator for the environmental group Green Line.

While civil defense forces have started initial clean up efforts, more qualified environmental groups, such as Green Line, which spearheaded the drive to cleanup the coastline, have not been given full access to work. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), between 10,000 and 15,000 tons of fuel oil have leaked from the power plant since the mid-July attack, causing much damage to sea life.