Garbage thrown into the al-Ghadir river in Beirut's southern suburbs. (Credit: @alihamie_lb/X)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh posted on 'X' Wednesday urging people to stop throwing waste in the al-Ghadir river in the southern suburbs of Beirut, saying it could pose a threat "to public safety and lives."
الأهل الكرام: الصور والفيديوهات المرفقة تظهر خطورة واقع الحال في مجرى نهر الغدير !علماً بأن تعزيله قد حدث اكثر من مرة ! وغداً سيصار الى تعزيز العمل في هذه الورشة مجدداً.
— Ali Hamie | علي حمية (@alihamie_lb) September 27, 2023
إن استمرار رمي النفايات فيه،يشكل خطراً مؤكداً على السلامة العامة والأرواح والمنازل فيما لو حدث فيضان مفاجئ pic.twitter.com/rLxcG0xRAd
"The attached photos and videos show the seriousness of the situation in the course of the al-Ghadir River. Note that the removal [of the garbage] has occurred more than once! Tomorrow, the work in this area will be strengthened again. Continuing to throw waste into it constitutes a definite danger to public safety, lives, and homes if a sudden flood occurs," Hamieh wrote.
Intense rainfall, coupled with sewage and drainage systems blocked by garbage, severely flood large swathes of Lebanon's low-altitude coastal areas every year. Weakened by almost four years of crisis, Lebanon is ill-prepared for winter storms. An elderly man was killed last year when heavy flooding hit the country last October.