A water distribution tank. (Credit: Saïd Meallaoui/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Authority announced a "severe rationing program" for running water supply in areas under its jurisdiction, including Kesrouan, Metn, and the capital, according to a statement relayed Sunday by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The public utility explained that these measures are due to "low rainfall, which has caused water levels in wells to drop and left nearly no water in the Chabrouh Dam (Kesrouan) and the Bekleh Lake (Metn)."
"We call on citizens to ration their water usage while awaiting more rainfall," the statement said.
Lebanon has long suffered from chronic water distribution shortages, largely due to postwar reconstruction efforts in the 1990s that only partially focused on renovating water infrastructure without significantly increasing capacity. This is compounded by 30 to 50 percent of water being lost through pipeline leaks—referred to as "unaccounted-for water"—as well as water theft by non-subscribers and thousands of unregulated wells, as explained by *L’Orient-Le Jour* this summer.
