Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Ali Hamieh, on Monday inspected the soil collapse location in Dahr El-Baydar.

After assessing the condition of the international highway, Hamieh said, ‘The Ministry of Public Works and the specialized teams promptly addressed the situation yesterday. It is evident that there was a soil landslide, as the party responsible for paving the Arab highway split the road without reinforcing it. The substantial amount of rainfall likely caused the soil to erode due to its lack of cohesion.’

‘Starting today, we have initiated efforts to address this matter because our primary concern is ensuring traffic safety for citizens and preventing soil erosion. Therefore, we must channel all waterways into one course,’ Hamieh added.

‘We have given directives to reinforce the incident site immediately to prevent further landslides because the Dahr El-Baydar road is one of the pivotal and crucial roads in the country. We have initiated this as an emergency and relief case
that must be addressed immediately,’ affirmed Hamieh.

In response to a question about Prime Minister Mikati’s statement on opening a corruption file against some road contractors, Hamieh concluded, ‘This issue is old and not during my tenure. Since taking over the ministry, I don’t believe there is corruption. However, I am ready to cooperate with Prime Minister Mikati and respond to his request if necessary.’

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon