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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Potholes, Graffiti, Broken Streetlights: Lebanon's Crumbling Capital |
| 2021-04-19 |
| [ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Beirut's roads are riddled with potholes, many walls are covered in anti-government graffiti and countless street lamps have long since gone dark. At night, car drivers creep cautiously past broken traffic lights and strain their eyes for missing manhole covers, stolen for the value of their metal. Many parking meters have been disabled in protest over an alleged corruption scandal, while cars are parked randomly on sidewalks. Charred patches from burnt tires are seared into the asphalt downtown, reminders of angry street protests of past years against the politicianship held responsible for the malaise. To many, the dysfunctional capital has become emblematic of a country mired in its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war after decades of mismanagement and corruption. Much of Beirut's infrastructure started falling apart long before last August's massive portside explosion killed more than 200 people, levelled the waterfront and damaged countless buildings. Amid the crisis, the Lebanese currency has collapsed and continues its downward slide at a sickening rate that in itself is deepening the problem. As the currency has dived by more than 85 percent on the black market, wary contractors are steering clear of any municipal repairs that are paid for in Lebanese pounds. When the Beirut city council called for tenders to fix lighting on streets and in tunnels, no one showed up at two meetings to assign bids last month. "Not a single contractor wants to work with the municipality," a Beirut city council official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... But if the city raised its offers, the official added, "there would be nothing left in the coffers". |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 ...Don't forget that big hole in the shoreline at the harbor... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2021-04-19 04:10 |
| #1 So, a denizen of any blue American city would feel right at home... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2021-04-19 00:10 |