The US, France, Britain, Canada and Australia, among others, have been clear that any money they give must go directly to trusted local aid groups, such as the Lebanese Red Cross or UN agencies, including the UNHCR. This summer it provided emergency waterproofing materials to the worst affected areas of Beirut, as well as offering food and medical supplies.

‘Our aid is absolutely not going to the government. Our aid is going to the people of Lebanon,’ said John Barsa of USAID.

Civil society groups in Lebanon also stepped into help, with armies of volunteers giving up their time to help the vulnerable.

Yet experts on development warn that long-term programmes require a carefully-planned approach. The ultimate goal is to build the capacity of state institutions, so that countries can learn to cope independently with disasters. Unfortunately, because so many systems in Lebanon are dysfunctional, the money often gets wasted.

For the past year, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Beirut demanding political change. In mid-August, following the explosion, the government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned. In his televised farewell address, Mr Diab continued to try to present himself as a reforming leader.

Corruption in Lebanon was ‘bigger than the state’ itself, he said, and ‘a very thick and thorny wall separates us from change; a wall fortified by a class that is resorting to all dirty methods in order to resist and preserve its gains’.

Mr Diab’s opponents maintain he and his government were also culpable, colluding with this corrupt system. They claim he was part of a clique of politicians who used sectarian patronage to gain power.

Dr Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Programme at Chatham House, says there is frustration about the role of Lebanon’s ruling political class, and notes that French President Emmanuel Macron was insistent that relief funds should go directly to the Lebanese people. ‘Mr Marcon sent the message to Lebanon’s rulers that, while their country desperately needs foreign assistance to stand on its feet, no one can help Lebanon if it does not also help itself,’ said Dr Khatib.

In the view of Robert Fisk, the Beirut-based Middle East correspondent for the Independent, ‘corruption is the cancer of the Arab world, as well as a serious problem in Israel. ‘Somehow, we find the Lebanese version of corruption more terrible, more shameful, more grotesque than that which is practised in every other Arab country. Is this because it is more obvious? Or because it exists in the only Arab nation that actually publicises its own decay?’ asked Mr Fisk in a recent Independent article.

Politically and economically, Lebanon is on the verge of becoming a failed state. Its debt is more than 170% of its GDP, and this mounting sum has depleted the country’s hard currency. Many people face difficulty in accessing money held in dollar-denominated bank accounts, leading to a sense of panic.

The country’s non-profit organisations have said they will form a coalition to monitor how relief and aid money is spent. Their task will be especially arduous now that so many senior government figures have resigned and many official facilities were damaged by the blast.

The Lebanese Transparency Association, which includes business-people, academics, economists, lawyers and intellectuals, has been at the forefront of the campaign to curb corruption. Its director, Julien Courson, told Associated Press: ‘The decision-makers and the public servants who are in charge of these files are still in their positions. Until now, we didn’t see any solution to the problem. I think the Lebanese government has an interest in finding a suitable solution.’

For the people of Lebanon, it cannot come soon enough.