Fear of a looming food and water crisis grips communities hosting thousands of IDPs in Lebanon as Israel's war rages on

To the east of Lebanon’s capital, in Mount Lebanon, Metn, and the northern districts, long queues snake around grocery stores, money transfer offices, and pharmacies, filled with residents and newly arrived internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

"My house was ruined," one man in the crowd told The New Arab.  

Originally from the Bekaa Valley region, the man, who prefers to remain anonymous, says that he couldn't save anything. 

“This is why I ended up sharing a small apartment in Burj Al-Barajneh with my wife's family, my sister, her husband, and two children in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment,” he said. “It’s suffocating.”

Israel's assault on Lebanon escalated with the September 28 assassination of Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, at least 2,000 people have been killed, and almost 9,500 injured since the start of the Israeli aggression. The Disaster Management Unit reports that the total number of IDPs has reached a staggering 1,200,000 — one of the worst IDP crises Lebanon has ever seen. 

“We must buy water to drink, cook and bathe,” says the man. “The price of 10 barrels has doubled to $20."

His story is echoed by many others in the queue. 

"I only go out when absolutely necessary,” says a woman from the Bekaa, who prefers to remain anonymous.

Sheikh Adel Obeid, the owner of two commercial centres that also sell groceries in Aley and Qabr Shmoun districts, says that there has been a surge in demand. 

"The increase in consumption is more than 100 percent," he told The New Arab, gesturing towards the rapidly emptying shelves. 

"The demand for canned goods of all kinds has increased, especially tuna, sardines, and canned cheeses. We are also seeing a rise in demand for tissues, kitchen utensils, sheets, blankets, pillowcases and pillows," he explained, noting that people are afraid to buy fresh food because electricity is unstable and there are no refrigerators in shelters and schools.

Rawad El-Danaf, who owns the Rani Supermarket in Baalchmay, adds that the demand for flour has increased by at least 500 percent.

“People are also picking up cleaning products, detergents and shampoos,” Rawad told The New Arab. 

“But we are now witnessing a growing crisis in the supply of bottled water,” he added. "Most companies did not deliver orders due to pressure on plastic factories and the shortage of workers because of the displacement of Syrian labourers in particular. We had to pick up our orders from the warehouse."

But business is booming for money transfer offices such as the one owned by Nidal Abou AlHossn, who says that overseas money transfers have increased at least five-fold. 

In one of the smaller offices, an employee who preferred to remain anonymous, told The New Arab that over $40,000 of incoming transfers via Western Union were sent by 3 pm, more than seven times the normal volume; while another office using Money Gram indicated that the transfer volume reached five times the usual rate. 

A pharmacist in the centre of Aley said there was a spike in the purchase of medications for acute and chronic diseases, diapers for children and the elderly, and sanitary pads. He hopes he will be able to maintain enough stock to meet this unprecedented demand.

Roadblock nightmares

Around the Aley district, traffic congestion clogs mountain roads and city streets reflecting the potential long-term impact of the IDP crisis.

Wajdi Morad, the Mayor of Aley City, says that despite the heartwarming solidarity among people, host communities face many challenges. 

"There is great pressure on water, sanitation, and sewage infrastructure," Wajdi told The New Arab. "Everyone is buying water and we are particularly keen on providing water to the IDPs in school to maintain personal hygiene and avoid disease outbreaks."

But the sight of accumulated waste on the streets told a different story.

Wajdi explained that City Blue, the garbage collection company, ran out of staff as most of them fled. “The municipality took the helm and dispatched three trucks and workers to collect waste, especially near hospitals.”

Jinane Bou Saïd, a landscape engineer, agrees that the strain on resources extends far beyond basic necessities. 

Jinane describes how her business was impacted because she is still paying the full-time salaries of her five employees even though the business has stopped.

“We rely on clients requesting maintenance or garden and orchard decoration. All this has come to a halt," she says. 

Her nursery, which requires constant irrigation, is now costing her much more to keep up because she is forced to buy water.

The big picture

"The economy was suffering long before this war broke out," explains Sabine Kik, a university professor specialising in financial laws and policy. 

"Most displaced people fled their areas without any money, with only the clothes on their backs. It will take some time to adjust and balance the distribution of strategic resources to accommodate a higher population concentrated in areas beyond their capacity,” Sabine told The New Arab.

She emphasises the need for short-, medium-, and long-term plans to address the crisis, particularly as winter approaches.

The imminent cold season brings new concerns to Mayor Morad, who is worried about the potential misuse of forest resources for heating, noting the municipality’s zero-tolerance policy for any incursions on Mount Lebanon’s forests and protected nature reserves.

"Our trees are not for heating or displacement. The municipal police have authorisation to take necessary measures against any illegal activity,” says Wajdi, calling on the government to secure diesel fuel for the displaced during winter.

Sabine, however, has little faith in the government’s capacity to take charge.

“The complete disruption of the constitutional process and the work of elected bodies such as parliament and the caretaker government, has left a vacuum,” she said. “Emergency plans in such crises need a cash reserve to absorb the blow and act immediately but the state is negligent and incapable.” 

The Lebanese caretaker government headed by Najib Miqati, had announced that its strategic fuel reserves are stable, supported by donations from Iraq and Algeria; while wheat reserves will cover the next two months and will be supplemented by incoming shipments to cover the country’s needs for an additional month.

“But we cannot possibly predict the extent of the Israeli blockade,” adds Sabine, “or the impact of the internal challenges in terms of the transportation and distribution of goods in light of the destruction of main roads by Israeli air raids.” 

While Israel has not imposed a complete siege on Lebanon, its recent bombing of the international road to Syria, cutting off the main passage between the two countries in the Masnaa area, has heightened fears of an impending maritime, land and air siege. 

Yet, amid the crisis, Samir Shehayeb, the President of the Aley City Merchants Association, told The New Arab that 80% of available housing units in the Aley district (1,500 units) were provided free of charge to IDPs, adding that almost 100 volunteers and associations work around the clock to provide a variety of services.

But for Sabine, individual efforts are not enough.

"We hope decision-makers are sufficiently aware of the need to come up with solutions outside the box," she says.

Suzanne Abou Said is a journalist based in Lebanon

This piece is published in collaboration with Egab