Aug 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - The Daily Star, Beirut, Lebanon



Angry crowds blocked the streets in Khandaq al-Ghamiq and al-Basta al-Tahta Beirut neighborhoods Wednesday night in protest against electricity rationing, while riots continued in areas in the capital's southern suburbs and south Lebanon.

Witnesses said the Lebanese Army and the ISF intervened to contain the anger and cordoned off the area. Gunshots were also heard in the surroundings of Basta.

Late Tuesday night, residents in the southern villages of Saksakieh had barricaded the Sidon-Tyre highway for the second time following the death of Abdullah Jaber, who was hit by a car Sunday night while participating in the protests.

The airport road in Beirut's southern suburbs was temporarily blocked with fire on Tuesday night in protest against severe electricity rationing. The southern coastal city of Sidon also saw similar movements.

 The National Democratic gathering, headed by Former MP Osama Saad issued a statement in which it detailed the sufferings of Sidon inhabitants and those in nearby districts from electricity rationing.

Electricite Du Liban (EDL) announced in a statement on Tuesday that mobs blocked fuel tanks heading Monday from the Zahrani power plant to another one in the city of Tyre.

The statement said two of the tanks returned back to the Zahrani power plant and the process of transporting fuel to Tyre was suspended until Tuesday morning.

EDL warned that similar incidents would eventually lead to halting diesel supplies to the Tyre power plant which would impact negatively on power supplies in southern villages.

In another statement, EDL denied that the power was cut for 20 hours per day, stressing that power supply reached 18/24 hours on Sunday and 17/24 on Monday.

For information about the average supply of electricity in Lebanese areas, the statement recommended people visit EDL's website www.edl.gov.lb.

EDL attributed any power cuts exceeding the mentioned averages to local defects that were being fixed.

The statement reiterated that power plants across Lebanon maintained a consistent level of 95 percent.

EDL has become a nightmare for successive governments with an annual deficit of more than $1.5 billion, in some years even reaching $2 billion. -- The Daily Star

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