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Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena...alth-concerns/
Lebanon: sharp drop in water supply raises health concerns
Lebanese are increasingly relying on unchecked private water supplies
Sunniva Rose |
Mahmoud Rida
Sep 12, 2021
The taps in Marwan Kassar's flat in Beirut run dry, sometimes for as long as a day at a time.
Basic state services such as water and electricity have long been lacking in Lebanon, but the Kassar family home in a leafy neighbourhood of the capital used to be relatively well supplied until a few months ago.
“You can’t wash the vegetables, you can’t flush the toilet, you can’t shower, you can’t wash your hands,” Mr Kassar, 23, told The National.
“It’s a very big inconvenience. It’s probably never been this bad in terms of overall living conditions.”
The water problem is the latest manifestation of Lebanon's two-year old economic crisis and is linked to the crippling fuel shortages created by a lack of foreign currency to pay for imports.
Lebanese are hopeful that the announcement of a new Cabinet on Friday – ending 13 months of a caretaker government and impasse – may improve conditions.
But in the meantime, without fuel oil for power plants or diesel for private generators, there is no electricity to pump water or run treatment plants.
The water supply in the densely populated Beirut and Mount Lebanon areas has dropped by about 40 per cent, said Jean Gebran, head of the local state-run water authority.
Some towns in the mountains north of Beirut receive only a few hours of water every two days...
Lebanon: sharp drop in water supply raises health concerns
Lebanese are increasingly relying on unchecked private water supplies
Sunniva Rose |
Mahmoud Rida
Sep 12, 2021
The taps in Marwan Kassar's flat in Beirut run dry, sometimes for as long as a day at a time.
Basic state services such as water and electricity have long been lacking in Lebanon, but the Kassar family home in a leafy neighbourhood of the capital used to be relatively well supplied until a few months ago.
“You can’t wash the vegetables, you can’t flush the toilet, you can’t shower, you can’t wash your hands,” Mr Kassar, 23, told The National.
“It’s a very big inconvenience. It’s probably never been this bad in terms of overall living conditions.”
The water problem is the latest manifestation of Lebanon's two-year old economic crisis and is linked to the crippling fuel shortages created by a lack of foreign currency to pay for imports.
Lebanese are hopeful that the announcement of a new Cabinet on Friday – ending 13 months of a caretaker government and impasse – may improve conditions.
But in the meantime, without fuel oil for power plants or diesel for private generators, there is no electricity to pump water or run treatment plants.
The water supply in the densely populated Beirut and Mount Lebanon areas has dropped by about 40 per cent, said Jean Gebran, head of the local state-run water authority.
Some towns in the mountains north of Beirut receive only a few hours of water every two days...