Restoring Freshwater Ecosystems and Introducing Hima Governance in the Upper Litani Basin
As part of the newly launched project “Sustainable Water Ecosystems Restoration: Reviving the Upper Litani River and Qaraaoun Lake”, a field team from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) conducted a series of strategic meetings and site visits across the West Bekaa region to kick off stakeholder engagement and assess conditions on the ground.
The field team—comprising Fatima Hayek, Wassim Khatib, and Miryam Salloum—initiated discussions with key local partners to present the project’s scope, objectives, and collaborative mechanisms for ecological restoration and pollution mitigation.
Strategic Site Visit to Joub Jannine Wastewater Treatment Plant
The visit began with a technical meeting at the Joub Jannine Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), where the team met with Mr. Khalil Azar and Mr. Joseph Mosallem to discuss the plant’s operational challenges and the anticipated impact of the project on improving treatment performance. The dialogue highlighted the importance of pre-treating industrial effluents, particularly from dairy industries, and piloting solutions for household waste oil collection and reuse.
Municipal Outreach: Introducing Hima as a Foundation for Local Stewardship
SPNL also met with the Municipalities of Saghbine and Ghazze, introducing the Hima approach—a community-based model for natural resource governance. This served as a first step toward establishing official Hima sites in both villages. Discussions focused on local environmental priorities and how the DIMFE-funded project can align with municipal development goals. Both municipalities expressed strong interest in the project and welcomed the prospect of structured cooperation.
About the Project
The project is funded by the Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE) and spans 17 months (June 2025 – November 2026). It targets the Upper Litani River and Qaraaoun Lake, which have long suffered from alarming levels of pollution, threatening biodiversity, agriculture, and public health in the region.
With 14 villages included—among them Mansoura, Ghazze, Joub Jannine, Aana, Tal Dnoub, Kifrayya, Kherbet Qanafar, Lala, Ain Zebdeh, Baaloul, Saghbine, Beb Mereh, Aaitanit, and Quaraoun—the project brings together multiple actors to reduce pollution, enhance wastewater treatment, foster community awareness, and promote sustainable farming and waste management.
A Model for Scalable Solutions
The project’s theory of change is centered on pilot interventions—such as wastewater pre-treatment in dairy factories and community-level waste cooking oil collection—that can be scaled across the Litani basin. The goal is to demonstrate feasible, cost-effective models that municipalities, industries, and households can adopt, with broader policy implications.
Key anticipated outcomes include:
-
A baseline assessment and stakeholder map
-
Pilot pollution-reduction models for dairy effluents and household waste oil
-
Revitalization of the Joub Jannine WWTP
-
Training for LRA lab staff on industrial effluent testing
-
Awareness sessions for industries and communities
-
Official Hima designations and grassroots environmental ownership
-
Public recognition for industries adopting sustainable practices
