FLOODFollowing massive traffic jams caused by heavy rainfall that flooded several roads in Beirut and its surroundings, Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, announced on Thursday that he plans to request an "emergency budget" to begin road rehabilitation work.

In a morning interview on the radio station Sott Loubnan, Rasamny explained that he had called a meeting with the directors of maintenance, roads, and buildings from the ministry, as well as the contractor responsible for road upkeep in the affected areas. The meeting aimed to "examine the real causes" of the flooding, which occurred on Wednesday on part of the Mirna Chalouhi highway between the suburbs of Sin al-Fil and Boushrieh.

According to local media, the minister stated that the Central Inspection and relevant authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to take necessary legal action, a step previously requested by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

In light of the "deterioration of the country's vital infrastructure over the years," Rasamny emphasized the urgency of taking action. He proposed "asking the Cabinet to provide an emergency budget" for road rehabilitation, stressing the need to hold those responsible accountable for their negligence.

After heavy rainfall caused significant flooding and traffic congestion on Wednesday, many motorists were stuck for hours on roads in Beirut and its surroundings. Traffic was particularly problematic around Dekwaneh, Sin al-Fil, Achrafieh and Adlieh.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam quickly responded by instructing Rasamny to launch an immediate investigation to determine accountability and take appropriate action against any negligence. This swift reaction was in response to the severe congestion that paralyzed access to the capital and its suburbs.

Negligence of successive ministries

The YASA association for road safety prevention welcomed the initiative, hoping that Wednesday's incidents would serve as a lesson. YASA urged judicial authorities and inspectors from relevant ministries and municipalities to take note of the situation. The association also called for not attributing the responsibility for past negligence to the first government of Lebanon's new era, especially regarding the failure to clean sewage and drainage channels.

However, YASA also emphasized that the government cannot evade responsibility if it fails to address infrastructure maintenance issues in the future. Lebanon’s infrastructure is aging, overloaded, and often poorly maintained, with each rainfall causing significant traffic problems. The entrances to Beirut are routinely congested during rush hours, even in normal conditions. Additionally, parts of the country's infrastructure in the southern suburb of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and South Lebanon were destroyed during the more than 15-month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, leaving a reconstruction bill in the billions of dollars.