Optimization for Sustainable Water Resources Lebanon Case Study The Lower Litani River Basin Earth Link and Advanced Resources Development (ELARD) in cooperation with The Lebanese National Center for Remote Sensing (NCRS) Malta October 28-29, 2004 Environmental and Water Resources Management Consultants Lebanese National Center for Remote Sensing

OUTLINE Introduction Integrated Water Resources Management Description of Case Study Key Stakeholders Main Water Uses and Users Driving Forces Water issues and challenges SWOT analysis Data requirements and constraints Conclusions OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

INTRODUCTION This case study will be prepared by ELARD, a regional consulting firm in the fields of environmental and water resources management based in Lebanon, in cooperation with the Lebanese National Center for Remote Sensing (NCRS) OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

DEFINITION OF IWRM Integrated water resources management involves projects and actions aimed at : Increasing the conservation of water and the efficiency in its use Increasing complementarity and/or decreasing conflicts between competing uses, both in quantity and in quality, by managing both supply and demand Enabling adequate organizations, regulatory frameworks (laws, policies, strategies, plans, programs and rules) and human resources OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OBJECTIVES OF IWRM To conserve water through a more efficient allocation of the resource and protection of its quality; To solve conflicts among competing uses and users; To account for the social, economic and environmental value of water; To increase the participation of communities and the private sector in decision-making and financing. OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Water Quality Management Deteriorated Water Quality STRESSES Population growth, industrial, agricultural and touristic development, environmental and ecological needs, climate change, lack of awareness Economic Instruments Primary Effects Water Quality Management Deteriorated Water Quality Increased Water Demand Water Demand Management Economic Instruments Smaller Increase in Water Supply Water Supply Management Less Water of Adequate Quality Available Secondary Effects More complex management and insufficient capacity of institutions Increased needs by local communities Need for costly investments Increased conflicts Stakeholder participatory approach for conflict resolution - Institutional and legal development - Capacity building - Private sector participation - Community Involvement - Capacity Building Private Sector Participation OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

DESCRIPTION OF CASE STUDY The Lebanon case study covers the lower Litani River Basin It is part of the area that has been recently liberated from Israeli occupying forces It is therefore prone to extensive development, hence important stresses on water resources are anticipated and conflicts among different users likely to occur OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

THE STAKEHOLDERS Public Authorities / agencies MoEW (Ministry of Energy and Water) South Lebanon Water and Wastewater Establishment LRA ( Litani River Authority) MoE (Ministry of Environment) MoPWT (Ministry of Public Works and Transport) MoPH (Ministry of Public Health) MoA (Ministry of Agriculture) MoSA (Ministry of Social Affairs) Lebanese Meteorological service OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

THE STAKEHOLDERS (cont’d) Research bodies NCSR, NCRS Universities Local communities Municipalities NGOs Private Sector / users Farmers, COOPs Industries Consultants, water resources experts, water utility companies (?) International Organizations UNIFIL, USAID OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Water Uses and Users Irrigation / farmers Domestic use/ local communities Industrial use Tourism / recreational Environmental flow OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Driving Forces Population growth (new developing area) Change in land use and development strategies Technological change Environmental needs Climate change Socio-economic conditions OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Water Issues and Challenges Inadequate legal and institutional frameworks with proper enforcement mechanisms Lack of know-how of "Decision-makers" “Non-coordination" among institutions Lack of proper "pricing" framework Lack of "dissemination" of information to different stakeholders OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Water Issues and Challenges (cont’d) Lack of human resources capable of addressing water management issues Lack of participatory structures with active community involvement Lack of sound environment for private sector participation Lack of sufficient data on quantities, quality, demand, climate, etc. (lack of monitoring data) OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Availability of groundwater Presence of major surface water courses Presence of Litani River Authority that manages major irrigation projects Limited industrial activities Acceptable level of urbanization Feasibility study for water supply in the area already prepared Weaknesses Peak demand for irrigation occurs during summer when water is least available Old water supply infrastructure leading to excessive losses Lack of wastewater management infrastructure Lack of adequate monitoring data for proper assessment of water resources Insufficient level of awareness and knowledge of best management practices in agriculture Inadequate water pricing and lack of economic incentives for efficient water use and less polluting practices Opportunities Interest from international funding sources in the development of the new liberated south leading to potential financial assistance that can be used in water resource management activities/projects Trend towards privatization Threats Attraction of new investments that could pose a stress to water resources if not properly planned Sensitivity to geo-political context that hinders economic development OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Data Needs / Constraints Monitoring Need IWRM Trinity Component Comments Meteorological data Water supply Data on precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, temperature, wind speed and direction are important to assess the water resources and perform accurate water balances; data on snow cover is also very important and is completely non-existent; meteorological data is limited in the area and poses a severe limitation to reliable water resources management plans Surface water gauging data Water supply Water demand The LRA maintains a network of river limnigraphic stations that are used to measure rivers flow; it is important to upgrade this network to include more stations along the different rivers to be able to track upstream diversions and monitor river discharge, which is important in water balance estimations Groundwater level Groundwater level is not systematically monitored; such data is very important to assess the level of water exploitation and monitor groundwater use Water consumption Water demand Metering systems should be instituted for different water uses including domestic and agriculture; this would represent a first step towards controlling water losses, and moving towards a water pricing mechanism that would encourage water savings Surface water and groundwater quality Water quality There is no systematic monitoring of surface or groundwater quality in the country; Effluent monitoring and compliance monitoring Compliance monitoring is very important to secure water quality; while standards were developed for effluents discharge in water bodies, little has been done to ensure compliance to these standards OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

CONCLUSIONS Data needed for optimisation of water resources is not readily available There are also numerous challenges beyond technical ones towards a sustainable water resources management in the area (legal, institutional, economic, social) This case study should serve however as an important example / model to be replicated in other river basins in the country OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study

Thanks to all those who have put so much effort to organize this kick-off meeting (great job!) Questions are welcome... OPTIMA - Lebanon Case Study