Lebanon and power cuts… A story that doesn’t end and that will go down in history as the worst misgovernance the country has ever got to endure.
True, people got accustomed to the generators’ lifestyle, and “Kahraba aw Moteur?” is a question you will hear several times a day in every Lebanese home.
However, on this day and time, most generator owners don’t even have enough fuel to keep their engines going, and electricity companies have just… stopped providing electricity.
Every day is a new crisis, a new problem for the Lebanese people: no jobs, no merchandise, no meat, no security,… And now, no lights.
And as usual, this problem affects everybody living in Lebanon, and it affects them in their everyday activities. From attending classes, functioning at work, and getting their groceries to seeking medical attention, cooking, and so on.
But the ones who get it the toughest are the sick. This heartbreaking footage circled the internet a couple of weeks ago in Lebanon.
These parents had to take their sick baby to the electricity company in Kadisha, Behsas for a crucially needed power supply to his medical mask.
Their 9-month young child needs to take his treatment 6 times a day from a device that runs on power. The long-prolonged power outage put the child’s life at risk. His parents had to rush him to the electricity station…
In another scenario, a series of pictures were posted online from inside one of the supermarkets in Lebanon, captioned: “If you want to do your shopping, bring a candle with you to the supermarket.”
And again, another picture from inside one of the classes at the Lebanese University in Lebanon. These students are using their phones for light… again because of the power cut.
In an era where humans largely depend on electricity for many of their daily needs, from preserving their food to treating illnesses, this situation has propelled Lebanon centuries back. No exaggeration.
People have been protesting daily in front of the state-run Electricity of Lebanon (EDL) for the most basic of a citizen’s rights: Electricity.
Meanwhile, while the citizens are living in the dark and trying to function without power supply, the Minister of Energy Raymond Ghajar is reportedly holding sessions over the completion of the controversial project of the Bisri Dam.