Lebanese to Deal with Further Electricity, Water Shortages during Summer
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The lingering electricity crisis is likely to worsen with no solution in the near future as the country is bracing for a summer drought exacerbated by massive influx of Syrian refugees.
According to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday, rationing in Beirut's southern suburbs is daily between 10 and 12 hours while in the South and the Bekaa is between 12 and 14 and reaches around 20 hours in some areas in the North.
A parliamentary source told the daily that politicians should be clear and direct with the Lebanese concerning the electricity crisis.
“There is no near future solution.”
The sources said that electricity will not be back 24/7 in 2015 as some expected, advising citizens to buy their own generators or subscribe with the one in their neighborhood.
Lebanon is in need of 2,500 megawatts of electricity while the current production is only 1,500 MW.
The daily reported that any unexpected malfunction in one of the power plants in Lebanon will increase the size of the problem.
The report added that the state spends yearly around two billion dollars on electricity while the rationing hours keep on increasing.
The newspaper reported that drought reached several areas and villages as the dramatic situation is exacerbated by waste and an influx of Syrian refugees.
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR warned in February that the presence of more than a million Syrian refugees alongside four million Lebanese would seriously deplete the country's renewable water resources.
People in Beirut and several areas have already been forced to buy water from private suppliers and farmers are complaining about crop losses.
MP Mohammed Qabbani expected in comments published in As Safir the “situation to worsen in August and to hit bottom rock in September and October.”
He noted that the Public Works and Energy Parliamentary Committee, which he heads, formed in April a crisis group to deal with the summer shortages, but nothing has been accomplished.
“Swift measures should be taken to deal with the situation,” Qabbani said, calling for “courageous and painful decisions.”
Lebanon's meteorological service says the country has had just 431 mm (17 inches) of precipitation since September, less than half last year's 905.8 mm and far below the yearly average of 812 mm.
Ordinarily, Lebanese farmers irrigate their fields by digging channels that divert water from local rivers or wells that fill with rainwater.
But the rain and snow that usually feed the rivers and wells never arrived.
The country has just two dams and some 70 percent of the water that flows through its 16 rivers ends up in the Mediterranean.
H.K.
G.K.
03 July 2014, 11:37
27
Thanks to Bassil and his utterly stupid plans !
Had he opted to build a powerplant like it was initially suggested instead of burning money on renting stupid powerboats, we would not be here today and have at least an extra plant 3x more powerful than the scam he brought to town !
03 July 2014, 12:41
16
You know the arabic saying : "metel eleton" ?
Don't push the blame elsewhere ! Bassil rejected a Saudi offer to fund a full fledged powerplant that would have been fully operational today. Just because he doesn't want to appear as "taking money" from Saudis.
He took the people's money instead to fund his stupid project which is neither permanent, nor efficient !
What he did was temporarily postpone dealing with the problem by opting for a stupid, money wasting solution.
What you don't understand is that his project failed. We're not closer to getting the power we need and we wasted over half a billion dollars for his political propaganda campaign.
03 July 2014, 14:00
18
You can keep piling up BS on top of BS, it's still BS.
You can put the blame on others, it doesn't remove the blame from Bassil.
Bassil rejected free money to build power plants and burned our money away on the most stupid project. Especially that we could have BOUGHT the boats at the same price +15%! Now shove it you paid propaganda stooge !
03 July 2014, 14:33
16
@FT : look in the mirror, i'm your alter-ego. The one that doesn't lie, cheat or support terrorist groups and delusional dictator wannabes who would sell their soul to the devil and abandon everything they fought for in order to earn power !
03 July 2014, 15:30
15
@FT : If Aoun and I ask for a quote, would they make us a discount for the statue ?
03 July 2014, 13:20
31
RIP MR georges frem
whoever fired you is the monster responsible of all our water and energy crisis
03 July 2014, 13:51
00
How much brains does it take to shut off the street lights during the daylight hours, especially in the middle of the day? I despise seeing them turned on during daylight hours while the Electricity company has me cut off! I don't care who's in charge, stop wasting electricity.
03 July 2014, 14:26
22
Continue to refuse to co-operate with Israel on the natural gas fields, and your electricity problems will just continue.
The quicker this is realised the better, every day wasted means at least another day in the future with electricity rationing.
03 July 2014, 16:42
23
Bigjohn - nice to know that you think that I am Israeli, even better that you think that I am an American. I am a born and bred British person, from that little village called Manchester.
What apartheid state do you refer to - the one where an Arab is a member of the Supreme Court, where many Arabs are judges and lawyers, army & police officers, doctors surgeons and nurses, MP's etc - (Israel) , or the one where the President is of one religion, the PM of another, The Chief of Staff another - you're right (Lebanon).
Most of Israels water comes from the Sea of Galillee which is 100% within Israeli territory, so stolen?
You talk about traditional Palestine, when was there a Palestine State.
" A racist jewish state where the Jewish minority rule the Christian and Muslim majority in traditional Palestine."
What is the population of the West Bank and Gaza ? Certainly less that the 8 Million plus of the State of Israel, so where do you get your "Jewish minority" from?
28 September 2014, 17:11
00
By now israel is the state with by far the highest percentage of recycled water. Most of its water is now desalinated water from the Mediterranian ( have to correct you Phillipo sorry ). The lebanese are busier fighting for Assad then solving the problems in their own land. Still no gas drilling in side building of power stations stopped because they do not pay. But still they are trying to look for trouble with Israel who dont care a bit. More and more refugees from Syria because Hezbollah kept Assad alive. More and more Palestinians who are never going back. P.S. im from Holland ( neutral observer ).
03 July 2014, 15:33
15
I await the day when I will read ONE meaningful post, ONE counter argument, ONE credible or mature info from you, flamethrower._ , but alas!
03 July 2014, 17:51
15
I await the day when I will read ONE meaningful post, ONE counter argument, ONE credible or mature info from you, flamethrower._ , but alas!
03 July 2014, 18:39
00
I know one thing.
syria is the permanent curse placed on Lebanon. Since the begining and until now.
04 July 2014, 07:41
01
Come on FT don't insult people's intelligence. The Janni dam is contested as it is done in an area where water retention by the soil is minimal and thus a dam will prove extremely costly and very inefficient
04 July 2014, 07:47
02
you need to review the current scandals left by Gebran Bassil and his management of tenders for electrical generation. The zouk mikhael rehabilitation has been cancelled as there was only one offer to the tender and for an amount of 300M USD. And you know why? Because the tender was only issued less than 30 days before offers are due. There has also been a big issue with the tender of Deir Amar whereby Gebran has cancelled the tender won (not by his friends). What fpmers are saying is that Berri and Jumblat have looted public money, we know that Gebran is doing the same, but at least it is going to the Christians.
Gebran management of electricity is the biggest scandal. billions are being spent and after several years the rationing of electricity is worsening. Thank you FMP and Bassil.
