Life in Lebanon: no electricity, no petrol

Lebanon is suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history, which has led to a dramatic shortage of supplies. Electricity and petrol are hard to come by. By Diana Hodali

  • Men wait at a petrol station in Lebanon.
    No foreign currency: Lebanon is in the midst of an economic crisis the likes of which the country has never experienced. The Lebanese pound has lost about 90 percent of its value since the end of 2019. Foreign currency is now a precious commodity. For the population, unable to access hard currency, this means a dramatic loss of purchasing power
  • A Lebanese woman carries a gas canister on her head.
    People are desperate for gas and petrol: the fuel shortage is a symptom of the economic crisis. Petrol used to be cheap in Lebanon and was generously subsidised by the state. But those days are practically over. Lebanon has to import fuel. But the country lacks the foreign currency to do so, all reserves are as good as exhausted. And without fuel, the power plants cannot operate
  • An elderly couple watch from their balcony in Beirut.
    No air conditioning: as a result, and also because of rampant nepotism and mismanagement, electricity is scarce. People can barely sleep in the high temperatures, because without electricity even the air-conditioning cannot be operated. Older people suffer the most. Even lifts do not always work, even if electricity has been purchased from private companies for enormous sums of money
  • People and many cars wait at a petrol station in Lebanon.
    Long queues at petrol stations: "Sometimes people spend the night in their cars at the petrol stations to tank up the next morning," says a Lebanese woman from Beirut. Many petrol stations are only open for a few hours a day. The desperation is so great in some places that the army has already had to intervene because there have not only been fights, but shots have been fired over the lack of fuel
  • Empty bread trolleys in a bakery in Beirut.
    Bread shortages everywhere you look: those who don't have petrol often can't drive to work because Lebanon has no public transport, except for a few buses. And if you can't fill up your car, you can't deliver bread to shops or restaurants. Not to mention the fact that electricity is also needed to bake the goods. On top of that, the price for the subsidised bread has also increased in recent months
  • Working at home by candlelight in Lebanon.
    Spoiled food stores: the list of hardships that the Lebanese are facing in their daily lives is getting longer and longer. In some cases, grocers have had to throw away their frozen goods because they would otherwise go to waste. Because of the lack of electricity, people mainly buy food that does not need refrigeration. On the net, many Lebanese are now exchanging recipes that do not require refrigerated food
  • Children play a game by candlelight in Lebanon.
    Looming education emergency: the fuel and economic crisis is also having an impact on the education sector. On the one hand, some parents can hardly afford the high school fees for public schools; teachers' salaries are not being paid either, and the same applies to the higher education sector. On the other hand, during the coronavirus pandemic, online classes cannot be guaranteed without regular electricity
  • COVID ward in a hospital in Beirut, Lebanon.
    Hospitals at breaking point: hospitals in Lebanon have also recently complained about massive shortages of fuel for their generators. Without generators, ventilators, for example, have to be switched off. Medical staff are exhausted: with a new increase in coronavirus infections, hospitals in Lebanon are again at the edge of their capacity. Many doctors have long since emigrated
  • A chemist cuts blister pack medication into strips for rationing.
    Medication is in short supply: sometimes patients are asked to bring their own medicines. In Lebanon, where medicines are imported, there is a shortage of them as well. Pharmacists have not been dispensing whole packs for a long time, but have been rationing instead. A few days ago, a video appeared on the Internet showing a warehouse full of medicines. The trader was apparently aiming to sell the goods at an inflated price
  • A farmer harvests prickly pears in Lebanon.
    Agriculture at risk: Lebanon's agricultural sector is still heavily dependent on many imports, such as imported seeds, fertilisers or pesticides. Some entrepreneurs are trying to change this. But to use the equipment to cultivate the farmland, they also need what is lacking everywhere: electricity
  • A man on a moped transports empty plastic water bottles.
    Water a precious commodity: Lebanon is also facing acute shortages in its water supply. More than four million people could be affected by water shortages in the coming days or lose access to clean drinking water altogether, the UN Children's Fund UNICEF has warned. The organisation also fears an increase in diseases due to poor hygiene caused by water shortages