Local media reports said that the road to and from Beirut Airport had been closed for several hours as a result of flooding. It re-opened today but there have been complaints that flooding near the airport happens all too frequently.
Heavy rainfall in Beirut and parts of Lebanon on Wednesday resulted in flooding incidents across in the capital and in the east, north and south of the country. Streets were flooded in Nabatiyeh, south Lebanon, after drainage and sewage pipes overflowed as a result of the heavy rain.
Beirut traffic came to a standstill around the airport, and also the Dbayeh highway, Dora, Nahr al-Mot and Nahr al-Kalb. The heavy rainfall dumped mud and debris into an underpass near the airport. The Civil Defense had to work overnight to pull cars and passengers from the flooded tunnel.
Photo: Civilians stranded on Airport Road after flooding. #beirut #lebanon pic.twitter.com/5wyXjNbyUl
— Malak (@malakyz) December 4, 2013
Photo of #Beirut Airport road today. It barely rained and #Lebanon is drowning. Literally!
#LebTraffic pic.twitter.com/C3ZdldgSi0
— Sara Assaf (@SaraAssaf) December 4, 2013
Elsewhere, the Al-Ghadir River in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut, burst its banks, inundating several houses in the area.
This is the first heavy rainfall of the winter season, and locals are worried that there is worse flooding to come. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue until late Friday 6 December.
Beirut’s airport was struck by flooding in January this year. It is clearly of some concern when a city’s major airport, a place of major strategic and economic siginicance, is susceptible to frequent flooding.
Sources: The Daily Star
