Lebanon has recently seen a spike in theft of metal material such as drain covers and iron manhole, in addition to cemetery’s iron doors and other metal scraps, which are being sold by weight for profit.

Holes left open in sidewalks and in the middle of the streets have been posing a danger to drivers and passersby as the concerned municipalities have not addressed the issue as of yet. Just over a week ago, someone fell into one of the holes in the capital Beirut late at night.

As has been the case with multiple government-unattended issues since 2019, including the repercussions of the Beirut port blast, civilians have interfered once again for a solution.

Eager to eradicate the grave risks that these street holes pose to the public, a team of engineers at Cedar Environmental, chaired by its CEO Ziad Abi Chaker, has come up with a much-needed solution.

The team has begun manufacturing plastic covers to replace the stolen ones in an eco-friendly manner. Engineers are creating the new drain covers by giving new life to single-use plastic, using their extrusion technology.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention, and, in the absence of a functional cabinet in Lebanon, the people find themselves compelled to initiate solutions for the community in order to survive the successive crises.

From cleaning the debris of the devastated streets of Beirut right after the August 4 blast and sheltering those left homeless, to working on rebuilding the shattered homes and helping the needy, the Lebanese people are not abandoning their country.

Lebanese contractors have even proposed a plan that will rebuild the Port of Beirut without the state having to spend on it.