Lebanon—Water, Sanitation, and Conservation (WSC) Project

Despite ample natural water sources, Lebanon is a country in a state of “water impoverishment.” Inefficient water resources management and deficient wastewater management capacity are jeopardizing the health of the Lebanese people and overwhelming the environment. An acute economic crisis, the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 Beirut port explosion worsened the situation.

Drawing on the work achieved by the Lebanon Water Project (LWP), the Lebanon Water, Sanitation, and Conservation (WSC) Project engages citizens and the private sector to enhance their water stewardship, increase efficiency in the protection of water resources, and improve water and wastewater services to around 600,000 people by expanding the capacity of public water utilities and local governments to treat wastewater.

WSC is increasing the volumes of wastewater treated, reducing the pollution and water losses that harm water sources, improving service delivery to citizens, and facilitating partnerships between public water utilities, municipalities, the private sector, civil society organizations, and citizen groups to introduce innovative solutions and improve governance in the water and wastewater sector across Lebanon.

Sample Activities

• Rehabilitate, upgrade, and expand wastewater systems.
• Implement water safety plans.
• Promote water reuse and conservation in the industrial sector.
• Reduce the regional water establishments’ non-revenue water losses.
• Improve public utility planning and management tools.
• Conduct social marketing campaigns to increase civic engagement in water management.
• Promote wastewater or sludge reuse opportunities for the agricultural sector.

Select Results

• Installed inverters to the Litani River Authority (LTA)’s Khirbet Qanafar laboratory, upgrading the existing solar panel system that was installed by the Lebanon Water Project. The updated system can operate without the need for Electricite du Liban or generator power and will allow for the storage of solar power for a longer time, reducing the interruptions in electrical power.
• Provided the laboratory with chemical reagents, consumables, glassware, plasticware, and field water testing kits and provided training to the laboratory’s technicians to collect, store, transport, test, and analyze water samples from industrial effluent sources to mitigate industrial pollution originating in the upper Litani River Basin.
• Assisted Saints Coeurs Ain Najem School to become a “water model” school that conserves and protects water resources. The grant introduced the school’s community to practices such as hydroponic agriculture, drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and water conservation fixtures in toilets and faucets. Teachers will incorporate their new knowledge in their curriculum and develop a full program to be distributed to 170 teachers from 20 schools.
• Supported 12 factories from the dairy, wine, and potato industries to harness solar power to run their wastewater treatment systems. The upgrades will reduce energy bills and address uncontrolled discharge of untreated industrial wastewater in the Litani River Basin.