Rehabilitation of Dbayeh rainwater drainage canals underway

BEIRUT — The Public Works and Transport Ministry announced that through its contractor, it is continuing engineering work on the rainwater drainage canals in the Dbayeh area (North Metn), as part of its preventive plan to increase their absorption capacity before the start of the rainy season.

According to the ministry's statement published by the state-run National News Agency (NNA,) the ongoing work aims to widen the canals through deep excavations and the installation of concrete piles to reinforce them.

The heavily traveled Dbayeh highway, which represents the last point before the Nahr al-Kalb tunnel linking Metn and Kesrouan (the main road to North Lebanon), is plagued by flooding every year as soon as the first rains fall.

Striking scenes of cars submerged up to their doors are repeated annually. These works are therefore necessary, but it will be necessary to wait for the first rains to know whether the efforts will suffice.

The ministry’s statement cites several challenges related to this work, notably due to the numerous networks underground in the area, such as underground electric cables, water pipes, telephone cables, and more. The ministry assures that work will continue until this coastal highway is fully secured on both sides.

This project is part of a national plan to rehabilitate rainwater drainage canals on all major thoroughfares.