Lebanon's public services struggle to cope with refugees

To date, almost one million Syrian refugees are registered or waiting to be registered in Lebanon, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Every day Lebanon registers 3,000 refugees, with 1.5 million expected by the end of 2014. Syrians now represent 25 per cent of the Lebanese population squeezed into the tiny Mediterranean country. The situation is placing unprecedented pressure on public services and communities hosting the refugees.

The constant flow of refugees into Lebanon has had major economic and social effects on the country. The health and education sectors are struggling, jobs are scarce and housing prices have skyrocketed. According to the World Bank, by the end of 2014, the Syrian war and the influx of refugees will have cost Lebanon $7.5bn in total economic losses.

But rarely is this refugee crisis seen through the lens of the Lebanese. Lebanese communities have shown incredible generosity, hospitality and resilience in the past three years but the sheer volume of people continuing to flock into their country is nothing short of overwhelming.

The growing presence of Syrians is creating tension within the local population and there are valid fears it could be a source of future friction.

Only today there were reports that suggested a woman had set herself on fire at an UNHCR office in Lebanon. This just illustrates how unstable and volatile this situation is.

According to a World Bank report released last year, up to 170,000 Lebanese could slide into poverty due to the conflict next door, while unemployment could increase by at least 10 per cent.

The refugee crisis has led to an abundance of cheap labour – often undercutting workers from already poor communities, where Syrians are willing to work for much less than their Lebanese counterparts. This has left the already vulnerable Lebanese only worse off.

At the beginning of the crisis most refugees lived with Lebanese families but now in areas such as Beirut, most live in rented accommodation. Not only have prices skyrocketed for locals, but many landlords nowadays prefer to rent their apartments to several Syrian families sharing small spaces rather than giving them to Lebanese because they make more money on the rent.

Caritas Lebanon’s report into older Syrian refugees last year emphasised the same problem, adding that rising rents were heightening social tensions.

“Some landlords have evicted Iraqi refugees from their apartments because they are able to charge higher rents to Syrians,” the report noted.

US-based Lebanese policy expert Georges Sassine said the refugee crisis was exacerbating Lebanon’s poverty.

“Some poor Lebanese have been so desperate that they’ve been seeking fake Syrian IDs to get access to refugee aid,” he said.

“It underlines a sense of desperation, and that the Syrian poverty levels have also underlined the poverty level of some Lebanese and more importantly: inequality in Lebanon.

“The refugee crisis highlights the level of poverty in Lebanon. It is causing a lot of strain on Lebanese families. It is a tragedy for us.”

Sassine added that more had to be done.

“The Syrian refugee crisis has created a sense of fear across Lebanese society, which is partly rooted in the country’s failure to manage the Palestinian refugee crisis,” he said.

“The problem is the inability of the Lebanese government to manage the crisis… Lebanese policymakers have so far shown a complete lack of leadership, vision and political will to better manage the flow of Syrian refugees.”

However he noted that many of the country’s problems, such as electricity, infrastructure and water had nothing to do with Syria. These issues, he added, could be resolved regardless of the Syrian crisis but a lack of vision and leadership had stilted such issues from being resolved.

Meanwhile, the Syrian crisis has also placed immense strain on the education and health sectors.

Healthcare in Lebanon is highly privatized and expensive.

Some clinics have reported to be taking more than 50 per cent more patients than the previous year.

The education sector is also struggling.

School classes have doubled in size with many schools shutting their doors to local children at lunchtime to make way for refugees. Many schools have implemented the second shift system – where Syrians are taught in the afternoon and Lebanese kids during the day.

In the meantime, the country has been marred by an increase in bombings and violence in areas such as Beirut and Tripoli as sectarian tensions worsen.

But the Lebanese have long been known for their resilience – their ability to pick up the pieces and carry on with their lives after yet another traumatic event.

Experts stressed that the war in Syria must be treated as the most urgent regional challenge before it has the potential to destabilise the entire Middle East.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.