The 3rd AMIA international Conference

Arab Marine World:

Opportunities and Challenges 2010

Impact of Anthropic Activities on the Lebanese Coast:

Strategy for Sustainable Development

Gaby Khalaf, Milad Fakhri, Roula Mina et Nada Matar Marine Research Center - CNRSL

Le Royal Hotel- Dbayeh 20 May 2010

Outlines A- General Context

B- Study and results

C- Sustainable development

D- Conclusion and perspectives

A- General Context

Coastal Zone

• Stretches over 220 km and occupies 180000 hectares = 16% of national territory

Urbanization = 30000 h

Industry = 1100 h

Tourism = 200 h

Agriculture = 138000 h

• Gathers 67% of the total population = 2.5 millions inhabitants• Average density around 1400 inhabitants/km2• Presence of 20000 industry plants = 85% of the total industries in Lebanon

Sources of the coastal zone degradation

• Main Chemical pollution

- Chemical plant – Selaata

- Ciment industry - Chekka

- Fuel tankers – Dora, Amchit…

- Electrical power plant – Zouk

- Oil spill

• Main organic contaminants

- Domestic sewage outfalls all over the coast without any

prior treatment

- Waste water discharge

- Dumping sites: Saida, Bourj Hammoud, Normandie, Tripoli..

- Embanking the littoral

Wastewater

Lebanon is devoid of an appropriate wastewater treatment system and of a network of sewer collection. Industrial and domestic wastes are emptied the sea.

El Ghadir wastewater treatment station is located in the south of Beirut and which treats the wastewater of 250,000 inhabitants according to primary and secondary technique.

Dora Dumpsite

The dumpsite of Dora (North of Beirut bay), opened at the end of the Eighties, received 1500 -2000 tons of solid and urban industrial waste per day.

Its total surface is 18 hectares and its height about 50 m.

visible aesthetical pollution, very unpleasant smell,

contamination of the marine environment in several ways, especially by trace metals .

It close-down in 1998.

B- Study and results of anthropic activities

Chemical pollution

Samples of Dora sediment have high concentrations of Pb, Cd and Hg

These findings reflect large anthropogenic inputs mainly originating from

- the nearby enormous waste discharge,

- thermoelectric centrals (Zouk central) which generates 1100

g Cd day-1

Dora’s marine water column is contaminated with mercury (7-8 ng L-1). It is probably due to the nearby huge dumpsite, which is in direct contact with marine water.

• The samples of marine water and sediment in Selaata showed:

- a high level of organic phosphor in sediment

- high concentration of orthophosphates in water

- decrease of the pH

- increase of the temperature of water

- disappear of many benthic and pelagic species of animal and

vegetal

-

Consequences from littoral embanking

- the total destruction of the vermetid terraces

- the disappearance of sandy beaches, places of turtle nesting

- the absence or the reduction of several pelagic and benthic

species like the herbarium Cymodocea nodosa or the brown

algal Stypopodium zonal

- disappear of many local species

Organic pollution along the Lebanese coast

30 sites are sampled along the coast once a month during the wet seas and twice a month in summer

The different sites represent the geomorphologic aspect of the Lebanese coast: sandy beaches, rocky shore, river mouth, sewage outlet…

Monitoring program of the coastal region shows the impact of polluted waters on the variability of the physicochemical and bacteriological parameters and on the community perturbation of fauna and flora.

BAT-12

BYB-14

JUN-20JUN-40

BEY-20

DAM-12

SUR-8

 NAQ-10

 SDA-12

TRI-20

BYB-10

BAT-8

BYB-20

BYB-22

JUN-12

BEY-12BEY-14

DAM-10

 SDA-8

SUR-12

 NAQ-8

TRI-14

MNY-10

AKK-12

TRI-16

TRI-12

 

SITES D’ECHANTILLONNAGE

POUR LA SURVEILLANCE PERMANENTE DE LA

REGION CÔTIERE LIBANAISE

BAT-14

BYB-14

JUN-20JUN-40

BEY-20

DAM-12

SUR-8

 NAQ-10

 SDA-12

TRI-20

BYB-10

BAT-9

BYB-20

BYB-22

JUN-12

BEY-14

DAM-10

 SDA-8

SUR-12

 NAQ-8

TRI-14

MNY-10

AKK-12

TRI-12

TRI-16

 

SITES D’ECHANTILLONNAGE

POUR LA SURVEILLANCE PERMANENTE DE LA

REGION CÔTIERE LIBANAISE

BEY-12

C- Sustainable development

In the wake of the devastating war in the summer of 2006, and in light of the deepening marine crisis caused by the Israeli bombing of the Jiyeh power plant and the subsequent oil spill…

… and within the framework of existing cooperation between the CNRS and Italian institutions, particularly The Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (MAIB; CIHEAM-Bari), the Italian Government proposed a valuable donation in the form of a scientific vessel aimed at supporting marine studies and research in Lebanon.

In parallel to the above initiative, the CNRS in collaboration with the Development Cooperation Office - Italian Embassy in Lebanon, developed the cooperative Lebanese-Italian project proposal on:

Environmental Monitoring and Sustainable

Development of the Lebanese Sea"CANA Project"

with the main objective of supporting marine and environmental research for the upcoming 3 years.

For a budget of 2 635 000 Euros

Five scientific Tasks are identified

1- Coastal bathymetry

2- Hydrobiology/hydrology

3- Marine resources/biodiversity

4- Coastal water pollution

5- Project results dissemination

1- Coastal Bathymetry Drawing an accurate and detailed bathymetry map along a parallel coastal strip 10-15 km wide;

Drawing a precise seismology map and earthquake fault lines close and parallel to the coastal line

Development of detailed maps of navigational routes near the coast, and particularly at the entrances of major ports in Lebanon;

Study of freshwater resurgence at sea;

Identification of pollution “hot spots” along the Lebanese coast;

2- Hydrobiology parameters

General survey of the distribution of natural populations (fauna & flora), taking into account seasonal and environmental variation, the distance from the coast and the depth;

A technical survey on the fishery sector will be executed, with the aim of obtaining a comprehensive list of marine biodiversity (qualitative and quantitative) and the status of fish stock along the Lebanese coast up to a depth of 200 meters;

A survey of benthic marine life and habitat for a complete list of marine biodiversity and the dynamic distribution of live flora and fauna with special emphasis on the impact of pollution on their development and growth;

Identifying types of marine mammals (dolphins) present in Lebanese waters and monitoring their migration routes, breeding areas and food requirements.

3- Marine resources/biodiversity

With regards to the oil spill disaster of 2006, the CNRS focuses on the dissolution and concentration of the remaining oil spill to assess the quality of the sea water: pollution levels (mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and other organic pollutants), sediments and marine life.

4- Water pollution coastal

D- Conclusion and perspectives

5- Project results dissemination

The purpose of this project task is to:

- correlate other project activities with the Country social

economic context.

- protect the environment and to realize a sustainable

development in coastal zones.

- develop the mechanism for the dissemination of information

within the Lebanese community and to relevant stakeholders

Awareness

Education

Legislation

THANK YOU