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WATER COOPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND POVERTY ERADICATIONIt is obvious that a considerable number of water resources inLebanon are shared with neighbouring regions. This is attributedmainly to the geomorphic and geologic setting of Lebanon. In addition,most shared water resources originate from the Lebaneseterritory which indicates their availability. However, no specifichydrological measures have been known yet to articulate the currentstatus of these resources. Thus, a detailed assessment is needed toallocate the volumetric measures of shared water resources.Except for one treaty on transboundary water between Lebanonand Syria, however, there is no other convention or treaty forLebanon’s shared water resources. This treaty was initiated in1994 and concerned only the Orontes River. Before 1994, theutilization of the Orontes River was limited to fish culture andsmall-scale irrigation systems from a few wells. 6 However, latelySyria uses 90 per cent of Orontes River water. In addition, Syriaexecuted five dams with total storage capacity of about 735 millioncubic metres per year, and then 120 million cubic metres per yeardrains downstream towards Turkey. The established cooperationbetween the Lebanon and Syria on the Orontes River permitscontrol of the run-off rate between the two countries, as well asallowing the use of the joined aspects of water from this river. Thisincludes water pumping from the river and feeding springs, as wellas uniform groundwater exploitation. The 1994 treaty betweenLebanon and Syria reveals a successful aspect of effective cooperationon transboundary water. Nevertheless, this is not the case forother Lebanese shared water. There remains a clear ignorance onthe Al-Kabir River, which extends along the northern border ofLebanon with Syria. This has resulted in uncontrolled behaviouralong the river watercourse, such as the smuggling, direct waterpumping, sewage outlets into the river and many other aspects ofwater waste-use.This is also the case with south and south-eastern Mediterraneancountries, where the El-Wazzani River, which originates in Lebanon,runs downstream without any volumetric or quality control.Conflicts often exist along this river between Lebanonand Israel, such as in 2002. This is mainly attributedto the geopolitical situation in the region whichprevents the execution of any convention or treaty onthese transboundary water resources. There are somestudies and research projects that focus on these issues.However, although these studies and projects have beenestablished and funded by international entities such asthe United Nations Economic and Social Commissionfor Western Asia and the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme, no attention has yet been paid to them andthe conflict still exists.In the light of the current situation, however, thefollowing potential measures can be proposed toimprove national capacities for better management oftransboundary water resources in Lebanon:• initiating operational mechanisms for enhancingthe management of transboundary water resources• improving capacity building on conflict resolutionand negotiation skills• strengthening coordination and harmonization ofpolicies among various water sectors concerned intransboundary water resources• enhancing governance and partnerships withdonor communities on water projects alongshared water regions• ensuring the ratification of watercourse conventions• enhancing knowledge and information systems oncross-border water resources• developing national interests for a regional sharedvision and benefit sharing• institutional strengthening of regional and nationalmechanisms and institutions to improve themanagement of shared water resources.Image: National Council of Scientific Research (CNRS), LebanonGasoline smuggling along the Al-Kabir River between Lebanon and Syria due to the lack of informal controls[ 214 ]