$87 million loan for Litani wastewater project

Parliament approved on May 8, a loan agreement with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to develop a wastewater project in the northern and middle areas of the Litani Basin.

The loan, valued at KD27 million (around $87 million), will be repaid over a period of 24.5 years, with a grace period of six years. It will carry an annual interest rate of 2.5 percent.

Around 80 percent of the proceeds will be used for developing the wastewater networks. The remainder will be used to pay for studies and administration costs.

The northern part of the project located in northern Bekaa includes the development of wastewater networks. It will also involve the construction of two treatment plants of 540 and 255 cubic meters daily capacity to serve the villages of Maarboun, Ham, Jinta and Yahfoufa. It also includes setting up the 390 km Temnin wastewater network with its pumping plant. This network will serve 26 villages.

The middle area of the project consists of a 94 km wastewater network that will serve 17 villages to the east of Zahle. It will include a treatment plant of 29,000 cubic meters capacity per day.

The Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR) and the Bekaa Water Establishment will oversee the implementation of the project.