Noisy diesel generators are perhaps the most telling sign of how economic collapse is harming Lebanon’s environment. They are an especially dirty way to generate power
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThree years into an economic crisis, though, the defining sensory experience of Lebanon is the smelly, noisy diesel generator. The machines run at all hours, providing power that the state cannot. The air takes an acrid tinge; their roar keeps people awake at night. And they are perhaps the most telling sign of how economic collapse is harming Lebanon’s environment.has shrunk by more than half, from $52bn in 2019 to $22bn in 2021.
Desperate people are increasingly trying to flee across the Mediterranean. Last month a boat packed with migrants capsized soon after it set sail from northern Lebanon. At least 100 bodies, many of them Lebanese, were washed ashore in neighbouring Syria. Today, with barely any fuel to run power plants, the situation has reversed. The state provides at best two hours of power. Generators roar around the clock, in car parks and garages and wherever else they can be stashed. Sometimes they catch fire from overuse. Many buildings have scheduled “rest” hours to allow for cooling and maintenance; a few have backup generators for their backup generators.
Power plants are getting dirtier, too. One of them, Zouk, sits close to a populated area, its smokestacks looming over nearby beach clubs. As it was running out of fuel, the authorities decided to load a shipment of heavy fuel oil that had been in storage. When it arrived, they deemed it too dirty and viscous to use but, with no alternative, they still loaded it into the plant.
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