"Hossam Hazrouni points underneath a concrete staircase to the exposed foundation of the building where he lives. Inside, there, look, the 65-year-old says. The interior pillars are all broken. It's covered in water. Everything inside is wet. A few metres away lies a pile of smashed concrete blocks and twisted metal. It is the rubble of a building that collapsed on February 8, killing at least 15 people."
"Today, hundreds of buildings are at risk of collapse due to a lethal combination of ageing infrastructure, unregulated construction, Lebanon's 2019 economic crisis, the 2023 earthquake that fractured much of the local infrastructure's foundation, and a relatively heavy rain season. Locals like Hazrouni are afraid their buildings will be next. They told us that you should evacuate and you shouldn't stay, but how are we supposed to leave when we are in a bad situation?"
On February 8 a building collapsed in Tripoli, killing at least 15 people. Residents describe exposed foundations, broken interior pillars, and waterlogged interiors in damaged buildings. That collapse was the fourth in the winter season, and hundreds of buildings are now at risk of collapse. The risks stem from ageing infrastructure, unregulated construction, Lebanon's 2019 economic crisis, the 2023 earthquake that fractured foundations, and a relatively heavy rain season. Tripoli features extreme inequality, with multiple billionaires living alongside about 45 percent of residents in poverty, and many wealthier inhabitants relocating away from the decaying old city. Residents fear evacuation without anywhere to go.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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