The dangerous crisis-borne phenomenon of people randomly storing combustibles in their stores and homes in Lebanon poses a very serious risk to the safety of many unsuspecting citizens.
In response to this new risk, Governor of Beirut Marwan Abboud issued a circular wherein he banned the storage of any quantity of gasoline in stores or warehouses within buildings for any reason.
Abboud warned that violating this restriction will incur the penalty of immediate confiscation of the seized material and legal action against the violator.
On the other hand, regarding diesel fuel, the circular deemed it forbidden to store a quantity that exceeds 500 liters when the metal storage tank is not placed in a special room, noting that its storage is only permitted for operating electric generators.
As for diesel quantities less than the specified amount, the necessary safety measures, such as using insulating tanks and having fire prevention and extinguishing equipment available, must be adopted.
Governor Abboud also prohibited the storage of diesel fuel in basements in a quantity that exceeds 2,000 liters for a single metal tank.
In total, the capacity of tanks stored in a single room must not exceed 10,000 liters, and this is only permitted for operating electric generators and central heating furnaces, provided that it accords with the necessary safety guidelines.
A week ago, a diesel tank exploded in a bakery in Tariq Al-Jdideh, causing 4 deaths and dozens of injuries.
In recent times, many people in Lebanon have been buying and unsafely storing gasoline and diesel fuel due to the rationing implemented by the fuel industry, in preparation for the anticipated end of the central bank’s subsidy of combustibles.