Beirut prepares for winter rains under interior ministry supervision

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar met Monday with Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud, President of the City Council, Ibrahim Zeidan, and several municipal officials to review the city's preparations ahead of winter and its expected heavy rain, according to the official National News Agency (NNA).

The participants reviewed the cleaning and maintenance work carried out on storm water channels and drainage networks. Hajjar stressed "the need to speed up the pace of work and intensify efforts on the ground" to prevent any damage related to water accumulation.

Last month, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport launched an awareness campaign against littering on roads, one of the main causes of the recurrent flooding that plagues the country's major roads every winter.

Each year, winter rains in Lebanon cause significant flooding on many main roads, worsened by poor infrastructure maintenance and clogged drains due to garbage, paralyzing traffic and trapping motorists, especially in low-lying coastal areas.