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The World Bank canceled a loan to finance the construction of a dam in Lebanon that environmentalists say could destroy an area rich in biodiversity. The World Bank said in a statement that it had warned the Lebanese government to withdraw its agreement “due to the initial conditions that were not met to start construction.”
In June, the Bisri dam was partially suspended after the bank raised concerns about the implementation process, and the Bank gave Lebanon until September 4 to work on solutions to specific problems related to operation, maintenance and environmental Protection. The World Bank said “the canceled portion of the loan is for $ 244 million and the cancellation is effective immediately.”
This dam was to be built in the Bisri valley, thirty kilometers south of the Lebanese capital. The government says the project will provide clean water to 1.6 million people in the Beirut metropolitan area.
The dam faced significant opposition from civil and environmental circles in Lebanon.
Despite previous guarantees from the Lebanese government and the World Bank, environmental activists and farmers express their fear about the repercussions of the construction of the dam, as it would entail the confiscation of a large amount of agricultural land, the logging of thousands of trees and the elimination of the remarkable biological diversity for that region.
