$ 1.4 billion wasted on etc …!

Hadeel Farfur wrote in the news –

There are 22 main sewage treatment plants in Lebanon, with about 65 small stations in different villages and towns. Theoretically, it is badumed that this relatively large number of stations is more than enough to treat the water produced in Lebanon, thereby reducing the pollutants that result. In fact, 70% of the impurities are discharged into the rivers and the sea without any treatment, and the remaining 30% goes to the estuaries themselves, but only after separating solid and bulky objects. The big disaster is that $ 1.4 billion of public money has been spent creating these stations and the result remains … Braza Braz.

Lebanon produces approximately 310 million cubic meters of wastewater annually, of which about 250 million cubic meters are garbage and the rest liquid industrial waste. The "National Strategy for the Sanitation Sector" prepared by the Ministry of Energy and Water in 2010 indicates that more than 70% of wastewater is discharged without treatment into the sea, streams and valleys or are buried in the ground. The remaining 30% are mostly treated in an initial way, ie they are separated from the solids and then protected from contaminants in rivers and other environments.

In two decades, investments in the sanitation sector have exceeded $ 1.4 billion. The impact of polluted water, whether at sea, in groundwater or in irrigation, affects the health of the inhabitants. In Lebanon and help accelerate the destruction of the environment.

The refining plants are not repeated!

The National Sewage Master Plan was established in 1982. It provided for the establishment of 12 large coast stations and 20 medium-sized national plants to process 80% of the wastewater, adding about 100 small stations in cities and towns. villages to process the remaining 20%.
Of the 12 major resorts that meet the needs of about 65% of residents, only eight have been completed (Tripoli, Shakka, Batroun, Jbeil, Ghadir, Nabi Younis, Saida and Tire). Zahrani Coast Determination of its location (in Sarafand or Gaza) and the availability of funds for its establishment. Of the eight stations, only two are operational, Sidon and Ghadir (south of Beirut airport), but their work is limited to pumping water about 2 kilometers from the shore, subject to initial treatment. intended only for the removal of solid materials. According to a source at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), four other stations (Shikka, Tripoli, Batroun and Nabeel Younis) are partially operational, while waiting for a network connection, but two others ( Tyr and Jubail) have not yet been put into service.

Inside, the CDR has completed 14 medium-sized stations out of the 20 stations approved by the master plan, but three of them (Barouk, Naba & Safa and KafrSir) are not working, the others encountering technical problems affecting the progress of the work, Or preventing it from working with the capacity that is intended for it, such as the Yamouna station, which only exploits 50% of its capacity because it is at a point Baalbek station, which does not absorb the quantities that reach it. Some of the stations are partially operational (Ablah, Fuzl, Sbebin, Zahle and Ittnit) and two stations (Zahle and Jib Jenin) are likely to be closed due to the transfer of industrial drainage to the public network. The Tamaneen al-Tahta resort, whose problem is that the site that was created for its establishment, allowed the municipality to own it for private use!

In the case of small stations, sources at the Ministry of Energy confirm the establishment of about 65 stations without coordination with the ministry or the CDR. They have been implemented by municipalities with donor funding, but "most of them do not work," according to the report on the national strategy.
In summary, the National Strategy for the Sewerage Sector (2010) states that "two-thirds of Lebanon's population is connected to wastewater collection networks, but only 8% of this water reaches the four operational facilities ( Saida, Ghadir, Baalbek Although it has been nine years since the strategy was developed, the data indicate that the reality has not changed much, since most stations completed since then are still out of order.

The reasons to stop are not "technical"!
The construction of wastewater treatment plants was launched during the reconstruction phase and entrusted to the Development and Reconstruction Board, which was responsible for preparing the conditions for the construction of the stations as well as the operation and maintenance. Over the past two decades, more than $ 1.4 billion has been spent in the sanitation sector. Throughout this period, it was customary to sign employment contracts with private companies for three years, with the contract being renewed.
In 2001, the Water Law, which provided for the establishment of four water institutions (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North, Bekaa and South), was promulgated. Her tasks included managing the operation, maintenance and upkeep of the treatment plants. In fact, the CDR continues to put in place specifications for the construction of the stations, a process that private institutions must later ask private companies for. Here is the heart of the problem.
More than 70% of wastewater is discharged without any treatment into the sea, rivers and valleys, and what remains is treated primitively!

Specifically, the sources of follow-up of the file indicate that the water services refuse to receive the stations for two main reasons: the process of construction of the power stations does not conform to the specifications and does not occur. does not accompany the process of extending the networks and their delivery or the fact that they are damaged and worn out by negligence or exploitation in previous periods without regard to technical standards. And scientific. In addition, water institutions are financially and financially inefficient for the EDL system, and do not have sufficient human and technical capacity to manage these technically complex facilities and require very high costs because they operate 24 hours a day. 24. The sources themselves are failing to operate and manage these stations in the absence of a political decision preventing the government from funding the water institutions for them to fulfill. their functions, as provided by law, in order to keep the situation unclean.

Abolish responsibilities

In response to questions from Al-Akhbar, the official source of the CDR does not recognize the existence of an ongoing crisis and stated that the council had put into operation 22 stations and had put 17 in service, and recently completed the commissioning of 4 stations. The remaining station, namely the Jbeil plant, can complete the networks for up to a year and be commissioned. "

"Water institutions are legally responsible for the operation of wastewater treatment plants (as part of their investments), but they do not have the financial capacity to operate and rely on at a request from the government, which in turn advances the progress to the Development Council, "said Randa Nimer, And the reconstruction rather than giving it to the water institutions. This mechanism kept the responsibility for the file entrusted to the CDR. The exception, according to Nimer, is "to give the Bekaa Water Authority an advance to operate Iyat's plant in 2018 and to the establishment by the Ministry of Energy of Japan." A refinery at Beheleh in Batroun, which is not yet over ".

In this sense, the Council for Development and Reconstruction is responsible for the operation of the stations, provided that it is responsible for securing the financial advances and preparing the registers of conditions for the operation and maintenance of the stations. station maintenance every three years.

What solutions?

Dr. Naji Qudeih, environmental expert, believes that "the main cause of the crisis in the sector goes beyond the technical problems related to networks, finances, etc., and the lack of implementation. a national strategy based on effective water treatment and reducing the burden of pollutants that result. "From the 1990s to today, despite the huge sums spent, none of two main goals of water treatment have been achieved. This raises questions about the terms of reference prepared by the Council for Development and Reconstruction, while cautioning against the dangers of continuing the sector without adopting a national strategy to deal with at the risk of chaos in this sector ".

"WL" The management of the wastewater sector is relatively easy and water management institutions can manage it. A clear methodology must be adopted to manage the cost of managing the sector by recovering some of the operating costs by selling refined water to farmers for irrigation or by generating electricity. from the Refining mud.
While Nimer said that the current ministry "is engaged in the relevant part of the preparation of theoretical approaches and strategies, and remain committed to the responsibility of the Council of Ministers and approval of this responsibility".

Factory waste increases the level of risk

Most plants do not treat their wastewater, resulting in the release of harmful waste into collection systems or into the environment, which increases the risk of sewage, originally composed from various sources (toilet water, wash water, cleaning, street cleaning). Contaminants and make them more complex and dangerous, especially if they are in groundwater or irrigation. Poor collection and treatment of wastewater is known to increase health care costs due to communicable diseases and contamination of water and soil resources.

Water treatment and reuse

Environment expert Naji Qudeih explains that the treatment of wastewater takes place in four stages: the first is the preliminary treatment, which consists of removing solid and bulky objects with nets to capture and remove, and the deposit of sand and gravel by pbading water when entering the station. A step of great importance for the protection of the equipment of the treatment plant against defects, including pipes and pumps.

The second step is the initial mechanical treatment, ie the deposition of solids in the primary sedimentation basins, in order to obtain a homogeneous liquid that can be treated biologically at a later stage and then treated separately.

The third step is secondary biological treatment, in which about 90% of the organic matter in the wastewater is dissolved and dissolved organic matter is removed as early as the initial treatment phase. The final phase is a triple treatment to improve water quality to meet specific levels that meet drinking water specifications.

Qadih says that none of the Lebanese stations is being treated in four stages, noting that there is a problem of sludge removal and that gaps in the condition registers lead to Failure of the operation of the stations. "The cost of treating this water is high, but the yield is much higher," Qadih said. It is enough to reuse this water to irrigate crops and distribute them free to farmers, as well as to prevent high costs for health and the environment.