Bisri Dam Project

Reliable access to water is a major challenge in Lebanon’s capital city and the Greater Beirut area. The Government of Lebanon has proposed to construct a dam in the Bisri valley to create a reservoir that will feed drinking water to the population of Greater Beirut. However, civil society organizations have raised concerns that this plan is not the most cost effective or safe solution to the problem of water access. The project stands to flood 6 million square meters of natural areas and agricultural lands in the Bisri Valley, and will result in the dismantling of more than 50 historical sites. The dam is also planned to be built on an active seismic fault, posing risks of reservoir-triggered seismicity (RTS).

The National Campaign to Save the Bisri Valley has voiced a number of concerns about the Bisri Dam project, including the following:

Threats to Natural Habitats: The Bisri Valley is considered one of the most exceptional landscapes in Lebanon according to Lebanon’s National Physical Master Plan (2009). The valley encompasses a variety of natural habitats including a distinctive pine forest and oak woodlands. With its widespread shallow water, the valley is an important habitat for migratory birds, especially the Black Stork, the Sparrow White, the Crane, the White Swan, the White Pelican (all protected by the AEWA Agreement signed by Lebanon) and the Dalmatian Pelican (Near Threatened species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Threats to Cultural Heritage: This valley is abundant with historical sites (83 sites upstream and 29 downstream) that date back to the Bronze Age, the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Mameluke and Ottoman Periods. Studies conducted by local and international survey teams confirmed the exceptional historic value of the valley. The archaeological remains include a Roman temple, bridges, tombs, churches, a convent, traditional houses and many others.

Threats to Agriculture and local economy: The Bisri Valley is the only valley in Mount Lebanon that is deep yet wide and flat enough to house an extremely fertile agricultural plain. Agricultural activities are prevalent throughout the area of the Bisri Reservoir. They include fruit orchards and open fields variously tilled, cropped, lying fallow or under poly-tunnels. Around 57% of the impacted area holds a productive agricultural activity.

Threats to Safety: The Bisri dam and reservoir will directly overlay an intersection of two active seismic faults, the Bisri Fault and the Roum Fault, which can pose a serious problem from the seismic point of view. Geologists say that the Bisri Fault is the source of the destructive 1956’s earthquake, and that any future water body behind the planned Bisri Dam can potentially lead to the generation of a major earthquake similar to those reported in the historical record of Lebanon (Nemer, 2018).

Dam Failures in Lebanon: The capacity of the Lebanese Government to implement and manage such a massive and risky project is questionable, given the number of failed dams often built contrary to environmental norms all over the country in Brissa, Balaa, Beqaata, Chabrouh or Msailaha and others.

Alternatives: An integrated water management plan is necessary. The plan should focus on fixing the existing water distribution network which is extremely deteriorated leading to 48% of unaccounted-for water. Another priority should be to improve the capture of the Jeita Spring that currently supplies 70% of the Greater Beirut Area’s water. The cost of both improving the spring’s capture and establishing a new water conveyor was estimated at only 30-50 million USD (BGR, 2014). Reforming the Groundwater sector, currently subject to illegal and abusive exploitation would also help improve the efficiency of Beirut’s water supply.

Last Updated

August 23, 2019

Location

Lebanon

Institution

World Bank Group

Campaigns

Accountability, Climate, Stakeholder Engagement

Total Cost

$474 million

Funding

World Bank

MDB Financing Status

Active