More water coming up

$200 million loan from the World Bank to finance Beirut water supply project

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) has signed a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to finance the Greater Beirut Water Supply Project. The project aims to supply Beirut with water from the Awali River in the South.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $370 million. The Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment will provide $140 million and the government will finance the remaining $30 million for land appropriation.

The World Bank had initially approved the loan for the project in 2010. The closing date of the loan is June 30, 2016.

The project will provide 40 million cubic meters of water from the Awali River to Beirut per year . It aims to cover the water demand of all the areas with altitudes lower than 300 meters all the way from Khalde to Nahr al-Mot in Dora. The project is expected to provide water for up to 1.7 million people.

The project comprises two phases. The first is to carry water through a canal from the Awali River to Khalde. The second phase entails building distribution networks and water reservoirs. This phase will see the installation of 200 kilometers of water pipes, 16 water tanks of capacity 1000 cubic meters-each, and two large water reservoirs.

Upon signing the loan agreement, the World Bank’s representative, Hedi Larbi, said that the project would offer some 10,000 jobs within the next three to four years.

The project will be implemented through the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment and the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) in cooperation with the MoEW.