Here is the Mufti performing the rain prayer and the sky has answered. The roads are flooded, which begs the obvious question: if you don’t have drains, why pray for rain?

At a time when public debt and Sukleen garbage are piling-up and public money is going down the drain, along with all public facilities, another question emerges: why can’t we block these drains? *

Drain No. 1: Sukleen, Lafayette and NTCC = $2 billion

More than $1.5 billion have been spent to collect and pile garbage on sea shores and valleys in Beirut, Saida and Trablous with total oblivion to its harm to man and the environment in addition to an estimated loss of $500 million for not recycling waste, because we did not implement a comprehensive solid waste treatment plan for Lebanon. This is how we have drained $2 billion since 1992.

Drain No. 2:  Water = $8 billion

More than $600 million are paid annually by households and offices to bottled water companies because our water is polluted and the network is non existent. This is how we have drained $8 billion since 1992.

Drain No. 3:  Electricity = $12 billion

More than $400 million are paid annually to owners of generators in addition to a $600 million annual loss by the electricity sector, because Lebanon has yet to discover electricity. This is how we have drained $12 billion since 1992.

Drain No. 4:  Open sewers network=smile you are in Lebanon!

Open sewers flowing from the roads into rivers and seas. This should be an opportunity for our Zua’ama to look into.

Blocked drains that ought to be open and open drains that ought to be blocked, this has been our story since 1920.

And so the story goes.

Jawad N. Adra

               * The estimated amounts do not include interest.