I asked an expert that I respect about the plight of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She wrote to me (I cite with her permission):
"this is not an easy question Asad. And no, camps are not always a solution. they could actually be a problem. Sectarian considerations of the pro and against aside, how many camps do you need and with what capacity to accommodate some 750,000 refugees in Lebanon, only counting those registered with UNHCR? The planning figures now estimate there will be 2.3 million refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon by the end of 2014, in a country like Lebanon, this is explosive with or without camps. Zaatari for example, second largest camp in the world, now accommodates a bit over 100,000 Syrians.. how many Zaataris Lebanon can have? and where? (this is another big question, close to the borders? away?) and in any case you end up with the largest proportion of the refugee population living outside camps, so instead of dealing with one problem you would be dealing with two: one inside camps and one outside. You need to consider that unless well managed, camps can result in outbreaks of disease, could turn into military bases, etc. camps require infrastructures, electricity, water, security... and a huge funding (the cost of running Zaatari camp is 1 million dollar per day! and that is a figure from a while ago, it could be higher now)..
"this is not an easy question Asad. And no, camps are not always a solution. they could actually be a problem. Sectarian considerations of the pro and against aside, how many camps do you need and with what capacity to accommodate some 750,000 refugees in Lebanon, only counting those registered with UNHCR? The planning figures now estimate there will be 2.3 million refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon by the end of 2014, in a country like Lebanon, this is explosive with or without camps. Zaatari for example, second largest camp in the world, now accommodates a bit over 100,000 Syrians.. how many Zaataris Lebanon can have? and where? (this is another big question, close to the borders? away?) and in any case you end up with the largest proportion of the refugee population living outside camps, so instead of dealing with one problem you would be dealing with two: one inside camps and one outside. You need to consider that unless well managed, camps can result in outbreaks of disease, could turn into military bases, etc. camps require infrastructures, electricity, water, security... and a huge funding (the cost of running Zaatari camp is 1 million dollar per day! and that is a figure from a while ago, it could be higher now)..
Of course all parties in Lebanon are only looking at it through the
sectarian lens but the real problem is that there is no proper planning
or control. A very simple question: who is in charge of the refugee
issue in Lebanon? Honestly I dont know, so far
agencies deal with the Ministry of Social Affairs, of course the
Ministry doesn't have the capacity nor the skill to manage this. They
have no idea what they are doing and what they are dealing with. But
again, the numbers we are talking about are huge and
could puzzle and threaten any stable country let alone a country like
Lebanon. Come to think of it, I think the only reason this has not
exploded yet is exactly because of the existing anarchy."
