Problem analysis in the Damour Basin, Lebanon

Damour is a coastal village located 20 km south of Beirut. The population of the area is around 75,000 inhabitants. The area is an important crossroad, linking Beirut to the Shouf Caza in the Mount Lebanon, and to other southern cities and villages such as Saida, Tyr and Nabatiyeh. The village relies on both groundwater (public and private wells) and surface water resources.

The main water management issue experienced in the Damour River Basin is related to the sustainability and availability of water, both in terms of quality and quantity, and mostly during the summer. The short period of precipitation and the torrential flow of the Damour River influence the disparity in water availability. In order to resolve this problem, both water authorities and private users turn to the overexploitation of the coastal aquifer, which further incurs:

• Overexploitation and pollution of the Damour River,
• Overexploitation of the public wells of the Beirut Water Authority (BWA),
• Overexploitation of private wells in the Saadiyat Area, and
• Water losses in distribution networks and improper irrigation practices.

All the above problems are aggravated by the absence of legislation for the management and monitoring of both surface and groundwater resources in the village and the basin as a whole, and the lack of awareness among the community to prevent or mitigate environmental deterioration.

Financial issues can be summarized in the inadequate cost recovery for water supply provision, as water supply agencies can barely recover their operating expenses. On the other hand, the administrative and institutional framework is, in its majority, outdated and the legal structure suffers from overlaps. Political intervention in the attempts to recruit personnel seems to add more burden on water resources management.

The focal water management problem faced in the Damour River Basin is the decrease in the total amount of surface and groundwater of adequate quality required for meeting the water needs of domestic, agricultural and industrial users (water stress). The problem is particularly experienced in the downstream irrigated coastal plains of Damour, where farmers complain about the shortage of water during the summer season, as water is abstracted upstream and there are no rules governing water allocation. Groundwater resources are also under stress due to the significant abstractions, especially for inter-basin transfer. The Damour municipality has repeatedly expressed its concern about the increased salinity of groundwater. A more detailed analysis of the problem is presented in the Figure below.

The focal problem is caused by several factors including uncontrolled discharges of industrial and domestic wastewater in surface water, uncontrolled surface water allocation, and seawater intrusion in groundwater.

These are in turn attributed to limited law enforcement, inadequate regulatory instruments, limited capacities of authorities (particularly for law enforcement), limited financial resources, absence of a clear planning framework, absence of a participation and coordination platform, and limited monitoring activities. Inter-basin transfer of groundwater resources is leading to deterioration of groundwater quality in the coastal area. These issues are further caused by lack of relevant awareness and technical capacity, by social and political pressure from user groups, and lack of integrated management of the water resources of the area. It is expected that the focal problem could further lead to an increased number of conflicts among water users, and to increased social costs incurred from health problems associated with the use of polluted water.

Preliminary Problem Tree Analysis for the focal problem of the Damour Basin, Lebanon
(Click here to enlarge)

The main authority responsible for the management of water resources in the Damour River Basin is the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW). MoEW is responsible for setting the planning framework for sustainable water management with the river basin. MoEW has planned to construct a major dam within the river in order to reduce the losses of water to the sea during the rainy season, but the project has not yet been implemented. While the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) could play a role in mobilizing resources for the execution of such projects, no progress has been made so far.

The Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water and Wastewater Establishment (BMLWWE) is responsible for supplying potable water to its subscribers. While the Damour Basin falls within its jurisdiction, groundwater from Damour is pumped to supply water to Beirut but apparently without adequate consideration of safe yields since groundwater salinity has been increasing indicating possibility of seawater intrusion.

The Ministry of Environment (MoE) is the authority responsible for controlling sources of pollution; however at present it has limited capacity to monitor the numerous environmental violations within the basin. The Ministry of Public Health (MPH) also monitors the safety of drinking water. The same applies for local municipalities. In addition, the Damour municipality operates groundwater wells to supply potable water to the Damour village.

Unfortunately, limited efforts towards a more sustainable use of water resources in the basin are witnessed. This is largely due to the lack of coordination and cooperation among the different responsible agencies. While limited action is undertaken to remedy the problem, users continue to exploit the resources in an uncontrolled manner and environmental violations are still occurring within the basin.

Previous initiatives in different river basins have been undertaken to promote integrated water resources management. The CAMP project, financed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), and managed by the Priorities Action Program Regional Activity Center (PAP/RAC), was implemented in Lebanon by the Ministry of Environment from 2002 to 2004. It aimed at promoting integrated coastal zone management and has promoted specific interventions at three coastal cities, namely Damour, Sarafand and Naqoura. Although the project successfully mobilized local communities in integrated water resources management and other sustainable practices, it has failed to ensure continuity of activities. This was partly due to the fact that no follow-up activities have yet been launched by the MoE, the authority responsible for project implementation. 

Another important initiative was the one financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which aimed at the development of a water resources master plan for Lebanon, under the coordination of MoEW. The project started in 2004, but was cancelled by the MoEW, before the JICA team finalized its work. It appears that the consultants have not worked in close cooperation with the main beneficiary, and results of the assessment were found unacceptable. This was also largely due to the highly political nature of water management in the region.

The EC-financed IPP-MSC project, aiming at strengthening the institutional structure of the MoEW and the water and wastewater establishments can, on the other hand, be considered a successful water management initiative. It was able to build capacity in beneficiary institutions, developed a decision-support tool that would be used for planning, and provided training to the corresponding staff. However, the project did not target the development of specific river basin management plans that could be used for guidance in the case of Damour.