Launching of the rehabilitation and waste management of El-Bared canal irrigation system project

On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Lebanon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Energy and the North Lebanon Water Establishment, launched the project “Rehabilitation and waste management of El-Bared Canal Irrigation System to reduce source-to-sea pollution and improve the livelihoods in the Akkar Region of Lebanon” funded by Norway. The project focuses on minimizing discharges of waste from El-Bared system to the Mediterranean Sea.

The event took place in the presence of Mr. Maurice Saade, FAO Representative in Lebanon, Mr. Khaled Obeid, Director General of the North Lebanon Water Establishment (NLWE), Mrs. Manal Kortam, Senior Program Officer at the Norwegian Embassy, representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the North Lebanon Water Establishment (NLWE) and representatives from NGOs, INGOs, and UN agencies.

The project, which ends in February 2022, aims at improving the livelihoods of the people utilizing the system through solid waste disposal, rehabilitation of irrigation canal systems, improved agricultural output and job creation.

It will be working on rehabilitating the irrigation canal systems and installing trash removal structures through the employment of local labor, expanding and strengthening the water quality monitoring at key locations across the irrigation canal system and building the capacity of the North Lebanon Water Establishment on water quality monitoring and water pollution prevention. The project will also be raising awareness of pollution among the local community to improve the collection of solid waste around the irrigation canal systems.