Under the patronage and in the presence of the former Minister of the Environment His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Mashnouk, Beirut Arab University organized a workshop entitled “Litany River from its Source to its Estuary: Vision and Solutions” on 24 September 2016.
Objectives
Highlighting and sharing concerns regarding the severe degradation of the ecological status of Litany River and its adverse effects on development and economic growth not only of Bekaa region but also across all Lebanon
Stressing on the urgent need to implement the governmental action plan to combat the environmental degradation of the river
Cooperating with stakeholders, public farmers and industrials
Enhancing collaboration and fostering BAU engagement in pressing national concerns
Participants included parliament members of Bekaa, universities, governmental and research institutions, NGOs, municipalities and a breadth of community members. Prof. Amr Galal El Adawi, BAU President, addressed participants with a welcoming presentation highlighting the major challenges facing the water sector in Lebanon and stressing the need for urgent implementation of actions to combat these challenges. In her presentation, Prof. Hania Nakkash, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, emphasized the role of higher education and scientific research in developing plans and implement actions to efficiently contribute to the integrated management and conservation of the integrity of the precious of water resources in the country. Projects covering various aspects of the challenges facing Litany River and government plans and projects to tackle them were presented by Ministry of the Environment (MoE) and Litany River Authority (Eng. Mohamad Younis). Parliament members Dr. Assem Araji and Mr. Jamal Jarah, Litany River Authority, members of municipality expressed their high concerns for the degraded environmental status of the river and its impact on economy, public health and society and sluggish performance of government. Prof. Hussein Amiri, University of Colorado, presented an overview of some global best practices in the integrated management of river basins in USA and emphasized the need for coordination between ministries, governmental institutions and public for the successful management of the Litany River Basin. In the closing session a briefing on BAU contribution to the assessment of the ecological status of the river and management of its environmental degradation was presented by Dr. Safa Baydoun, Director of BAU, followed by an open discussion and development of a set recommendation.
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