Bisri Dam to begin construction next year

The construction of Bisri Dam on the Awali River is slated to commence in September 2017 at the latest, according to Elie Moussalli, Project Director at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR).

The funds needed to continue the expropriation of land for the construction of a water treatment facility in Wardanieh have been collected. The value of expropriation is $30 million.

The treatment facility will treat around 500 thousand cubic meters of water that will later be pumped to Beirut and the suburbs.

CDR has appointed Dar al Handasah Nazih Taleb and Partners and Moroccan firm Novec to conduct the technical study and Dar al Handasah Shair and Partners for the environmental study.

Dam beneficiaries have also increased. “The region of Iklim al Kharroub will also benefit from the dam. This was not part of the original scheme,” Moussalli said.

Dar al Handasah Nazih Taleb has been tasked by CDR with completing the detailed studies for Iklim al Kharroub. The studies are to be done by October. The company will also prepare the terms of reference for the construction of artesian wells, pumps, reservoirs, and networks that connect the area to the dam.

Construction of the dam is expected to end in 2023.