Litani Authority Appeals: Remove These Chemical Materials

Issued by the National Litani River Authority:

In the context of its ongoing monitoring of chemical waste generated by the Zouk and Jieh thermal plants, which were entrusted by the Lebanese Electricity Company to a contractor for transportation and disposal under the Ministry of Environment's approval, technical teams from the National Litani River Authority conducted an on-site inspection on August 13, 2026, at the Zahle landfill to verify the nature, condition, and potential impacts of the materials on soil, surface water, and groundwater.

According to delivery records, approximately 5 tons of Sodium Metasilicate were transferred to the contractor in September 2025 from the Zouk plant, along with 2,140 kg of Hydrogel and 560 kg of Resin from the Jieh plant. The Zahle municipality had previously warned the contractor about the urgent need to remove these materials from the landfill.

The Authority reaffirms its full solidarity and cooperation with the Zahle municipality and stresses the necessity of relocating these materials to an approved, dedicated site for proper treatment or disposal in accordance with technical and environmental standards, thereby preventing any risks to soil, water resources, the environment, and public health.

In this context, the Authority appeals to decision-makers, ministries, and relevant authorities not to turn the Litani River Basin into a dumping ground for environmental burdens and risks originating from other regions. Environmental justice demands equitable distribution of environmental burdens, not their transfer from one area to another—especially not to a basin already suffering severe pollution and environmental stress.

The Authority underscores that protecting the Litani River Basin must be a fundamental criterion in any decision regarding environmental crisis management, and any proposed solutions aimed at alleviating environmental pressure on other areas must not come at the expense of the Litani River, its waters, and the communities within its watershed.