World Bank Approves $257.8 Million To Improve Lebanon’s Water Supply
The World Bank has approved $257.8 million in funding to enhance water supply services in Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon, the organization announced on Wednesday. The Second Greater Beirut Water Supply Project will finalize bulk water infrastructure work begun under an earlier initiative and repair systems potentially damaged by conflict.
This project aims to expand water access for 1.8 million residents in the Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon regions. The improvements are expected to greatly reduce dependence on costly private water tankers, which can be up to 10 times more expensive. The new infrastructure is designed to increase the surface water supply, meeting an average of 70% of demand during dry seasons, a significant rise from the current 24%.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
Jean-Christophe Carret, the World Bank’s country director for the Middle East department, emphasized the importance of this project, stating, “The Second Greater Beirut Water Supply Project reflects the World Bank’s continued commitment to support Lebanon’s long-term development needs, despite the recent conflict and recurrent crises.”
Lebanon, despite receiving high annual rainfall compared to neighboring countries, struggles with water shortages. This is due to the uneven distribution of rainfall across seasons and inadequate infrastructure for storing surface water. Climate change is projected to worsen these challenges, potentially halving Lebanon’s dry-season water availability by 2040 and increasing the risk of both floods and droughts.
