Bassil Reveals Long-Term Water Plan for Lebanon

10 March 2012

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil revealed that a plan to invest in Lebanon’s water wealth has been reached in cooperation with several local and international powers, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.

He told the newspaper: “The long-term strategic and national plan extends until 2035 at a cost of USD 9 billion.”

These funds have been acquired from some countries and Lebanon’s private sector, as well as grants, stated the minister.

The plan’s aims at transforming Lebanon’s water wealth into a field that can be invested, similar to the gas and oil sector, through selling potable water to Jordan and Cyprus, said Bassil.

The plan includes the construction of dams, acquiring potable and irrigation water, recycling water, and improving the country’s sewage system, he continued.

The minister said that the plan has been studied by the Energy Minister in participation with the European Union, World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and all Lebanese governmental institutions.

“Two projects, one on dams and another on sewage, will soon be referred to cabinet,” he revealed.