Middle East & Africa | Blue-sky blues

Lebanon’s economic crisis is wrecking the environment, too

Generators spew toxins into the air, while sewage pollutes the water

This picture taken on June 23, 2021 shows a view of a mesh of raised electricity lines along a street in a suburb of Lebanon's capital Beirut. - The owners of private generators that provide a vital backup to Lebanon's decrepit power grid warned of their own power cuts due to lack of fuel as the country's economic crisis deepens. The national network run by Electricité du Liban is prone to blackouts and in some areas only manages to provide power for two hours a day. That forces many Lebanese to pay a separate bill for a backup from neighbourhood generators run by private firms. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)
|BEIRUT

NOSTALGIA is powerful in Lebanon, a country whose population is dwarfed by its diaspora. Ask Lebanese expats to describe home and they may offer sweet memories: the scent of jasmine and cedars, of coffee spiced with cardamom and of manaeesh (flatbreads) fresh from the oven; the sound of Fairouz, a beloved chanteuse, warbling from cafés and car radios.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Blue-sky blues”

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