Summary
The earth is parched and dry along what was once the Litani River.
In the 1950s, the Qaraoun Dam was built and the water in the area rose, eventually flooding the old bridge and wheat factory. Father Salem Farah, the priest in charge of the Ayn al-Jawz monastery near the lake, said this is the first time since at least 1959 that the Litani's water declined to the point where the entire bridge is visible.
Now the immediate area surrounding Qaraoun Lake and the point where the Litani empties into it is nearly devoid of movement, a victim of one of the driest years on record in Lebanon.
The priest said local electricity generation had declined as the Litani dried up and the lake's water decreased, and so did agriculture in the surrounding areas.
The Litani River relies on the formation of snow patches in Lebanon's mountains.
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