Beirut explosion creates boom in demand for glass, aluminium

 

 
The deadly explosion emanating from the port of Beirut on August 4 shattered all windows and glass doors within several kilometres of its vicinity. For days after the explosion caused by the detonation of nearly 3,000 tonnes of unsecured ammonium nitrate, the crunch of broken glass could be heard on every street corner as millions of pieces were swept off the capital city's littered streets.
The blast left the country's economy - already struggling because of the breakdown of its banking system, skyrocketing inflation, and the COVID19
pandemic - in tatters.
But demand in one industry has been booming since the explosion - highly sought after glass and aluminium for reconstruction. With tens of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed, the need for building materials - especially glass and aluminium - has gone through the roof.
But as the demand increased, so have prices, leaving many Beirut residents in open-air flats, unable to afford replacements for their broken windows and doors.
Because of a prolonged economic downturn and political instability in the country, the demand for building and construction materials was negligible before the blast.
But with the explosion affecting about 70 percent of Beirut buildings, according to experts, the need for glass and aluminium has been like never before.
"With the economic crisis hugely affecting the construction industry, our production was down to 25 percent over the past 18 months," said Khalil al-Ghoul, a shareholder at a Lebanese company that imports and processes glass materials.
"But since the blast, production has gone up to 200 percent. Work is booming for everyone involved in the glass and aluminium industry," said al-Ghoul. "It's peak hour."
According to Ismail Ahmed, owner of a small shop in Zuqaq al-Balat in Beirut, the number of orders for glass windows and doors has doubled after the massive explosion.