Environment in Lebanon:Status and Way Forward

Environment in Lebanon:Status and Way Forward

Ricardo KhouryEnvironmental Consultant, ELARD

City Café – Beirut, Lebanon

April 5, 2007

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Objectives

• Describe key environmental concerns in Lebanon

• Explain how government is addressing these concerns

• Discuss means for civic society and scientists to push forward the environmental agenda

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Environmental Concerns

• Solid Waste• Wastewater• Water• Air quality• Climate change• Environmental impacts from July 2006 war

Sources of pollution

Sinks of pollution

Effect of pollution

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Solid Waste

• MSW Generation (2001 estimate): 1.44 million tons/year

• Equivalent to 0.92 kg/capita/day

9%

3%

5%

2%

3%

10%17%

51%63%

7%

5%

4%

3%

18%

Organic

Paper and Cardboard

Plastic

Glass

Textiles

Metals

Construction/ demolition

Other

GBA National

Source: MoE/Ecodit

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Solid Waste (2)

Source: MoE

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Solid Waste (3)

Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon

Zahle (50%)

TripoliControlled Waste Disposal Areas

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Solid Waste (4)

• Recent Initiatives– USAID Program (2003-2007) (15 mUSD)– EU / OMSAR Program (on-going) (10.5 mEURO)

• Support to Unions of Municipalities and municipalities in solid waste management

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Solid Waste (5)

• A draft Law for Integrated Solid Waste Management was prepared by MoE (2005) and is ready for adoption

• Lack of long-term planning in this sector is a major hindrance to its improvement

• Political interference is another major obstacle

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Wastewater

• Lebanon generates about 250 million m3 of wastewater per year

• Almost the totality of this wastewater is directly discharged in the sea, rivers, valleys or land

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Wastewater (2)

Akkar (2)

Tripoli (5)

Koura (1)

Batroun (4)

Jbeil (5)

Beirut (7)

Kesrouan (6)

Baabda (3)

Aley (1)

Metn (7)

Chouf (3)

Saida (6)

Sour (3)

Source: CDR/LACECO, 2000c

Mediterranean Sea

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Wastewater (3)

• The GoL initiated the construction of seven wastewater treatment plants in 2001: Saida, Chekka, Batroun, Jbeil, Chouf coastal area, Baalbeck and Nabatiyeh

• None is yet operational

• Several municipalities have or are finding their own solutions with support of international agencies (such as USAID)

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Water

• Lebanon has 40 major streams and rivers with 17 perennial rivers and more than 2000 springs

• Water quality data issparse and not enoughto assess severity ofwater pollution

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Water (2)

• Of the 10 stations monitored by the National Center for Marine Sciences (NCMS) only one station was deemed fit for swimming based on concentration of fecal coliforms(SOER, 2001)

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Water (3)

• Surface water also suffers from pollution

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Water (4)

• Seawater intrusion

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Water (5)

• Limited progress in solid waste and wastewater management does not help alleviate impacts on water resources

• Limited control on industrial and agricultural discharges

• No systematic monitoring of quality of water resources

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Air Quality & Climate Change

• Main sources of air pollution:– Transport– Power plants– Industries

52.43.1

54.2

476.4361.2

83.0

0

500

CO2 CH4 N20 NOx CO NMVOC SO2

Air

po

llut

ion

load

s (k

tonn

es)

13,000

Greenhouse Gases

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Air Quality & Climate Change (2)

• Limited monitoring of ambient air quality• MoE developed a draft Law for the

Protection of Air Quality (2005) – yet to be adopted

• No strategy for air quality protection available

Average166 mg/m3

USEPA24-hr standard

Lebanese 24-hr standard

TS

P,

µg/

m3

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Air Quality & Climate Change (3)

• Climate change– Lebanon signed the Kyoto Protocol– Eligible to participate in Clean Development

Mechanism (CDM)– Is in the process of selecting a Designated

National Authority (DNA)

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Environmental Impacts from War

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The Oil Spill

• Up to 15,000 m3 of heavy fuel oil spilled in the Mediterranean Sea

•150 km of coast affected by the oil spill

• Palm Island Nature Reserve (Protected Area) polluted

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Impacts from Reconstruction

• 445,000 m2 of road network, 92 bridges, and 130,000 dwelling units (HRC)

• 2.5 to 3 million m3 of construction and demolition wastes

• Inadequate waste management affecting water courses, biodiversity and coastal zone

• Demand for natural resources (sand and aggregates) has doubled to meet reconstruction needs

• Average dust concentration could increase by a factor 5 in areas close to heavy construction activities

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Other Environmental Impacts (1)

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Other Environmental Impacts (2)