The rain led to a complete obstruction of traffic, while the students got stuck inside the cars, in the midst of a suffocating congestion on both lines of the coastal road. Back and forth.
Those coming from northern Lebanon to Beirut found themselves stuck inside their cars, and the torrential rains led to huge material losses in cars and property.
Eyewitnesses told Sky News Arabia that the main road linking the capital with the northern regions turned into swamps, following the heavy rains.
In turn, the mayor of Jounieh, Joan Hobeish, told Sky News Arabia that the rains fell more heavily than the drainage channels, which led to large pools of water gathering on the coastal road.
Hobeish attributed what happened to “the climate change that affected the region and raised the level of precipitation at once during the fall season, while the drainage channels were unable to absorb the huge amount of water that collects and flows from the neighboring valleys to the low area opposite Harissa and Daroun road.”
Hobeish added, “The damage was only material, fortunately, and caused the collapse of some walls. What is required of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is to strengthen maintenance teams and clean the drainage channels of stones and accumulated waste.”
Citizens responsibility
Elias Al-Makari from the “Yaza” association, which deals with road traffic safety, said, “The amount of rain was above the drainage level because it reached more than 50 mm within hours, which the infrastructure cannot absorb,” not to mention the poor maintenance of the infrastructure since a year. 2019″.
Al-Makari added, “Maintenance of the road is in principle the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works, and it must be carried out periodically, especially before the winter season.”
He said, “We should not put all the responsibility on the Ministry of Works, as waste should not be thrown into the neighboring valleys, because the water washes it away and blocks the waterways, drowning the coastal road and the Jounieh road, and cars are drowned in water and exposed to major and costly breakdowns, and people are exposed to harm.”
In turn, the head of the Zalka municipality, south of the coastal town of Jounieh, said, “We had no problems today, the canals are open and the amount of rain was greater over the northern section of the Jounieh road, and in order for the problem to be finally resolved, the building violations that block the water exits towards the sea must be removed, and this is what we have implemented since We arrived at the Municipal Council in Zalka, south of Jounieh, years ago.”
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