In the scorching hot summer months, a power crisis is the last thing Lebanese should have to deal with amid toppling crises the country is already drowning with.
Yet, here it is, a brand new crisis to top things off, transporting people to the dark ages… literally and figuratively. Lebanon is already barely getting any electricity from the state.
Now, generator owners have shut off their engines for an average of 10 hours daily – if not more – in North Lebanon. Basically, people in the north are barely getting 2 hours of electricity per day.
In Sidon and in Beirut, some generators have shut off completely, according to local media, for the same reason: the diesel crisis.
Before declaring a diesel crisis, generator owners were already rationing power. Now, hours without essential power have increased.
Generators won’t reportedly resume operations until their owners can secure fuel at the subsidized rate of 3,900 LBP.
Meanwhile, power generator subscriptions have doubled in price. People are now paying more, for less.
This threatens the health of people who depend on power to keep their food safe in their fridges. It threatens those whose lives depend on home health machines.
It threatens hospitals that are already overwhelmed, bakeries, supermarkets, hotels, resorts, restaurants, and, basically, all sectors in the country, including education as the students preparing to sit their official exams can barely study.
