In many countries of the Middle East, there are still inadequate capacities concerning

the treatment and reuse of wastewater, despite water scarcity and the existing

demand in agriculture. In Lebanon, hydrogeology, topography, electricity demand,

land availability and georisks are the main factors that need to be considered in the

site selection process for wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and application of

wastewater reuse.

In the framework of German Development Aid support by BMZ to Lebanon, BGR

and KfW conducted joint studies in the Keserwan district, some 15 km north of Beirut

to adopt an appropriate concept for wastewater treatment and reuse in the

groundwater catchment of Jeita spring. With a discharge of 172 MCM/yr, Jeita spring

is one of the largest karst springs in Lebanon and provides ~70% of the drinking

water for the Greater Beirut Area. The protection of this important water source was

the main objective of these two joint projects. The BGR project Protection of Jeita

Spring (www.bgr.bund.de/jeita; all related reports can be found here) was

implemented in 2010-2014; the KfW Jeita Spring Protection Project almost

simultaneously.

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