Beddawi highway flooded after heavy rains

NORTH LEBANON — Heavy rainfall on Thursday flooded both directions of the Beddawi highway, north of Tripoli (North Lebanon), inundating several cars between the Mankoubine area (north entrance to Tripoli) and the neighboring locality of Deir Ammar, according to our correspondent in the region.

Many motorists heading toward Lebanon’s second city, as well as those traveling to Minieh and the Akkar region, faced difficulties, and several vehicles broke down due to the inability of storm drains to expel rainwater — some were clogged with trash, stones, or soil.

The entrance to the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp was also submerged, with access transformed into a vast muddy pond, preventing the passage of both cars and pedestrians. Some people were stranded in their vehicles, while water inundated several shops.

Last September, the Public Works and Transport Ministry, headed by Fayez Rassamny, launched an awareness campaign against littering on the roads, one of the main causes of the recurring floods that hit the country’s major highways every winter.

Each year, Lebanon’s winter rains provoke significant flooding on many main roads, worsened by inadequate infrastructure maintenance and blocked drains, paralyzing road traffic and trapping motorists, particularly in the lowest coastal areas.

Reporting by our regional correspondent, Michel Hallak.