The association of the families of the Beirut port explosion and the “Our City, Our Silos” campaign have joined forces in a plea to the World Bank’s Middle East Director, Jean-Christophe Carret, demanding an urgent intervention to safeguard the Port’s iconic silos.
In a letter addressed to Carret on May 2nd, 2024, the association emphasized the critical importance of preserving the silos in the World Bank’s Harbor Master Plan, announced by local officials during the “Beirut Port Vision” conference on March 13, 2024.
The letter outlined practical and material solutions, including a Kuwaiti donation specifically earmarked for reinforcing the silos. The association emphasized that this donation would not impose any financial burden on the city but would instead generate revenue for the port in the long term. Moreover, they stressed the need to preserve the collective memory of the tragic explosion that rocked the city on August 4, 2020.
In their communication to Carret, the association underscored the importance of the silos as a heritage site that bears witness to the devastating events of that fateful day, which claimed the lives of over 235 individuals and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
The association bemoaned that repeated attempts to engage in dialogue with the World Bank during the conference, in order to convey their appeals, were unheeded.
