Mountains of rotting garbage have been piling up for four months in the streets of Beirut, with recent heavy rains creating rivers of festering refuse in a the streets of a city that's home to 2 million people.
Waste-collection services ground to a halt in the Lebanese capital after one of the main landfill site was shuttered in July.
"The streets are filled with garbage. Piles and piles — mountains — of garbage everywhere," said Imad Bazzi, a 32-year-old campaigner on the issue. "And it has started raining … the result is catastrophic."
Dany Bouayash, a 16-year-old student, added: "It smells putrid, really. It's indescribable. Every time it rains here the streets are blocked and it reeks constantly, and its spreading viruses."
The waste smells "toxic" and is disrupting daily life, according to college student Petra Radiyeh.
"The garbage is blocking the streets," the 19-year-old said. "You can't drive anymore. You have to change your usual directions."