US embassy cable - 05AMMAN3330

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 003330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID 
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, EAID, TBIO, KGLB, LE, SY, NTDB 
SUBJECT: Lebanon's Approach to the Environment and 
Development: Using NGOs, Cost-Sharing 
 
 
1.  The message was prepared by the Amman ESTH office, 
and cleared by Embassy Beirut. 
 
2.  Summary: With Arab and international funding, Lebanon 
is making innovative use of NGOs and cost-sharing plans 
to manage natural resources, water, forests, health and 
development.  USAID makes important contributions in all 
these areas.  End summary. 
 
3.  Amman-based Environment, Science, Technology and 
Health (ESTH) Hub FSN visited Lebanon March 21-24 for an 
overview of environment, development, and health issues. 
 
Ministry of Environment 
----------------------- 
4.  ESTH FSN met with Dr. Berj Hatdjian, Director General 
at the Ministry of Environment, and Ms. Nancy Khoury, the 
Acting Head of the Division of Public Relations and 
External Affairs on March 24.  The MOE was established in 
1993 and has a USD 3 million budget.  The MOE worked with 
ECODIT Lebanon to produce the 2001 State of Environment 
Report.  It is available on the web at 
http://www.moe.gov.lb/Reports/SOER2001.htm.   The report 
describes the state of Lebanon's water, air, 
biodiversity, and land, and links them to population, 
agriculture, industry, construction, transport, tourism, 
recreation, and energy.  The report paints a bleak 
picture, calling water conservation "dismal," especially 
in view of the fact that agriculture consumes 70% of 
Lebanon's water but produced only about 12% of its GDP. 
It also identified a number of regulatory and enforcement 
shortfalls, and stressed the need for more consideration 
of environmental impacts at the planning stage. 
 
Seeking to Develop a Water Resource Plan 
---------------------------------------- 
5.  Water is becoming a factor limiting Lebanon's 
development, and will become more precious as the 
population grows.  Since agriculture consumes 60 to 70 
percent of Lebanon's water supply, Lebanon needs to 
address the efficiency of irrigation. 
 
6.  The General Directorate of Hydraulic Resources has 
adopted a 10-year plan, including the following specific 
articles: 
-- increasing drinking and irrigation water supply in the 
summer; 
-- collecting and treating more wastewater; 
-- reducing the estimated 50 percent loss of water in 
distribution systems; 
-- shifting the cost of providing water supply and 
wastewater treatment from the state to consumers; and 
-- increasing the effectiveness of water institutions. 
 
Development and Sharing Plans for Surface Water 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
7.  Management of surface water is crucial to Lebanon's 
overall water strategy.  Dr. Salim Catafago, Chairman of 
Litani River Authority (LRA) and a member of the Lebanese- 
Syrian Joint Water Committee, told ESTH FSN on March 21 
that Lebanon has three major rivers: the Litani, which 
flows only within Lebanon; and two rivers shared with 
Syria, the Orontes and the Nahr El-Kabir rivers. 
 
8.  The Litani is the most important river in Lebanon, 
with an annual maximum flow of about 700 million cubic 
meters.  Dr. Catafago described a two-phase, USD 440-500 
million project for the Litani River.  The first phase 
will build main conveyors, canals, pipes and pumping 
stations and the second phase will develop irrigation 
canals.  The cost for phase one is estimated at USD 220 
million, of which USD 165 million was given as a low- 
interest loan from the Kuwaiti Fund and the Arab Fund. 
The Lebanese government will supply the rest of the 
financing.  Catafago does not expect the GOL to contract 
Phase I before the end of the year, and noted that it 
will take two years to complete the work.  Catafago is 
trying to secure additional funding from the Kuwaiti and 
Arab Funds for Phase II. 
 
9.  The Orontes River starts north of Baalbeck and flows 
through Syria before entering Iskenderun and emptying 
into the Mediterranean Sea.  Its annual flow is more than 
400 million cubic meters (MCM.)  In 2002, the Syrian- 
Lebanese Higher Council approved a dam on the Orontes 
River under an agreement that allocates an average of 80 
MCM to Lebanon. 
10.  The Nahr El Kabir River also flows from Lebanon into 
Syria.  It is Lebanon's northern border with Syria.  Its 
mean yearly incoming flow is around 150 MCM.  Syria and 
Lebanon have agreed on sharing the Nahr El Kabir, with 60 
percent of its annual flow going to Syria and 40 percent 
to Lebanon. 
 
USAID Using Cost-Sharing on Wastewater Treatment Sites 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
11.  USAID is working with the GOL on wastewater 
treatment, another important aspect of Lebanon's overall 
water management plan.  ESTH FSN and AID FSN toured USAID- 
funded wastewater treatment plants in some of the Chouf 
villages on March 23.  One USAID-funded treatment plant 
in the Maaser el Chouf village costs USD 398,000, of 
which USD 278,000 comes from USAID and USD 120,000 from 
the Municipality of Maaser El-Chouf and the Union of 
Higher Chouf Municipalities.  A second USAID-funded 
wastewater treatment plant at Mukhtara and Butmeh 
villages costs USD 498,000, of which USD 331,000 is 
funded by USAID and USD 167,000 is funded by the 
municipalities of Mukhtara and Butmeh and the Union of 
Higher Chouf Municipalities. 
 
Forestry Development 
-------------------- 
12.  Mr. Fadi Abu Ali told ESTH FSN at their March 23 
meeting that the Association for Forest Development and 
Conservation (AFDC) was established in 1993 to increase 
forest cover, manage natural resources, promote eco- 
tourism, raise awareness, especially among local 
community members, and build capacity for better 
environmental management.  AFDC works with the Jordanian 
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) to 
build capacity in AFDC's staff. 
 
13.  One aspect of AFDC's work is a forest fire-fighting 
program to develop a national-level mechanism to prevent 
and fight forest fires through involving the local 
community. AFDC is recruiting volunteers from local 
communities who are trained to combat forest fires in the 
most important conservation areas. 
 
GLOBE Program - 22 Schools, Supported by Cisco Systems 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
14.  AFDC also manages the GLOBE program. Lebanon has 
participated in the Global Learning and Observation to 
Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program since a 1998 
agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Embassy 
Beirut.  GLOBE in Lebanon is currently supported by Cisco 
Systems and AMIDEAST.  Twenty-two private and public 
schools from around Lebanon participate in GLOBE.  Mr. 
Abu Ali from AFDC mentioned that GLOBE faces financial 
difficulties and that, since in many instances students 
pay for their training trips, GLOBE is less accessible to 
students of moderate means. 
 
Al-Chouf Cedar Nature Reserve 
----------------------------- 
15.  In an interesting NGO project, the Al-Shouf Cedars 
Nature Reserve is managed by the Al-Shouf Cedars Society, 
an NGO that conceived the idea of the reserve, created 
it, and currently manages it in cooperation with the 
Ministry of Environment.  ESTH FSN visited the reserve on 
March 23.  The objectives of the Society are natural and 
cultural conservation, research and monitoring, rural 
development, eco-tourism, environmental awareness, and 
capacity building.  As an important contribution to the 
Society's outreach efforts, USAID gave the Society USD 
28,000 to publish a booklet and a CD on the biodiversity 
of the reserve. 
 
World Health Organization Using Cost-Sharing Funds 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
16.  On Thursday, March 24, Econoff and ESTH FSN met Dr. 
Talal Abbas, World Health Organization (WHO) Accident and 
Injury Prevention Program Coordinator.  Dr. Talal said 
the WHO Office in Lebanon provides direct technical, 
administrative, and financial support to various joint 
projects between the WHO, the Ministry of Health (MOH) 
and programs established by the MOH with cost-sharing 
trust funds.  Such programs aim at improving the health 
of the Lebanese people and strengthen the management and 
system of the health sector. 
17.  The Accident and Injury Prevention Program started 
in late 1999 as a joint effort between the Ministry of 
Health and WHO and aims at decreasing accidents and 
preventing injuries.  In 2002, WHO and MOH expanded the 
program to cover traffic accidents, childhood injuries, 
occupational injuries, violence against women, child 
abuse, and emergency preparedness.  In 2003, the program 
started implementing activities, and it developed a plan 
of action on Injury and Accident Prevention for 2003- 
2005. 
 
18.  Comment: As a result of Lebanon's central government 
weaknesses in environmental and health issues, the NGO 
sector stepped in to fill the vacuum, gained in vitality, 
and is making major contributions to the health and 
natural resources sectors of Lebanon. 
 
HALE