A man carrying empty water cans on a Beirut street. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT — South Lebanon is without state-supplied running water due to a power cut, the region's water authority said in a statement Monday, while Électricité du Liban (EDL) threatened to halt power supply over unpaid bills.
"South Lebanon Water Establishment announces to all users the interruption of water supply due to the shutdown of public electricity services," the statement said. The cuts "affect several regions of Lebanon as well as the establishment's facilities, production stations, wells and distribution stations."
"The establishment hopes that users will restrict their use of water until electricity stations are operating normally again," Monday's statement added.
On the same day, EDL said it was "asking administrations, institutions, water establishments and others in all regions of Lebanon to pay their electricity bills in cash in 'fresh' Lebanese lira to EDL's account at the Banque du Liban, and not by bank transfer."
EDL urged public institutions to pay their dues so that the supplier "is not resigned to cutting off power to those who have not paid."
It was not immediately clear whether the South Lebanon Water Establishment cutoff was a direct result of an EDL power cut, or if the establishment had indeed failed to pay its electricity bill.
Officials did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.