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WATER COOPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND POVERTY ERADICATIONare still ignored and subjected to exhaustion – particularlythe Al-Kabir River in the north and the El-Wazzani River inthe south. To date, however, there has been no credible studyto assess and allocate the transboundary water resources thatLebanon shares with neighbouring countries. Consequently,geopolitical conflicts frequently exist due to the obscure natureof the hydrological conditions.There follows an assessment of the principal hydrological aspectsof Lebanon’s transboundary water resources, including quantitativemeasures and geospatial delineations. This can be used as first-handinformation to highlight the urgent need for effective cooperation atlocal, regional and international levels upon which bilateral agreementscan be established.Lebanon is characterized by two adjacent mountain ranges whichare separated by the Bekaa plain. The three units trend northnorth-eastto south-south-west. The rock succession of Lebanon iswell-defined by carbonate rocks (mainly limestone) building up thelargest part of the stratigraphic column. 1The existence of elevated mountain ranges, especially thosefacing the Mediterranean, has created a climatic barrier thatreceives cold air masses from the west, resulting in a high precipitationrate which reaches up to 1,500 mm per year. This makesLebanon a water-rich country, once described as ‘the water towerof the Middle East’. It is a unique region in the Middle East wheresnow cover remains for a couple of months on the mountaincrests, occupying about 2,500 km 2 . In addition, there are morethan 2,000 major springs, with discharge exceeding 10 litres persecond, and around 60 major submarine springs issue offshore. 2Lebanon is also well known for its karstic cavities, which constitutea major source of groundwater.Recently, Lebanon became a country under water stress,notably in the context of climatic variability and populationgrowth. There has been an obvious volumetric decrease in theavailable water resources in the last few decades, estimated at anaverage of 40 per cent. 3Even though Lebanon has a small land area (around 10,400 km 2 ),a large part of its water resources is shared with neighbouring countries.Hence, out of the 882 km border perimeter, approximately 559km (63 per cent) is shared with Syria in the north and east; and 98km (11 per cent) with is shared with other countries in the southand partly to the east. The other 225 km faces the MediterraneanSea. In several localities, however, geographical landmarks such asmountains and valleys often coincide with political borders betweenthe three countries. There is an obvious lack of joint implementationsto conserve water resources that extend between these regions,and this in turn results in many aspects of water loss and qualitydeterioration. In addition, the lack of cross-bordercooperation makes it difficult to assess hydrologicalmeasures. This often leads to conflicts at differentlevels, whether between the adjacent inhabitants orbetween governments. There is an urgent need forbilateral agreements to join assessments between theneighbouring regions, in order to reach a comprehensivefigure on water resources and a hydrological regimefor effective water use.There are about 215 international rivers and 300groundwater basins that are shared by two or morecountries. 4 However, transboundary water resourceshave many different aspects and a wide range of scales.Normally, aquifers and rivers are the only hydrologicalcomponents considered as shared water resources.However, other components, such as streams andsprings, are also important and must be included inhydrological investigation.Lebanon’s border, topography and border rocksSource: National Council of Scientific Research (CNRS), LebanonFundamental characterizations of Lebanon’s shared riversRiverAl-KabirEl-AssiEl-WazzaniLength(in Lebanon)60 km65 km75 kmCatchment area Origin(in Lebanon)295 km 2Shared1,900 km 2Lebanon625 km 2 LebanonToMediterraneanSyria, TurkeyPTMajor exploitation65% SyriaSyria, TurkeyPTSource: National Council of Scientific Research (CNRS), Lebanon[ 212 ]