Despite its relatively abundant water resources, Lebanon is significantly water-stressed with water availability falling short of international standards by over 150 m3 per person every year. According to the government's plans, to alleviate the country’s water problems, the Janna dam project was approved as part of a wider strategy across the country in 2009 and its construction effectively began in 2013. The dam will have a capacity of 38 cubic meters and will supply the region of Byblos as well as the northern part of Beirut and its suburbs. In addition, the site will also include a hydroelectric power plant supplying the grid with electricity. The project will take place in a region called the Adonis valley, where the Abraham river passes. Home to many natural springs and more than 700 species of animals and plants, some of them endemic, it’s considered to be one of the most biodiverse areas of the Middle-East. In addition to its high ecological value, the Adonis valley has always been an area of important cultural significance. The valley, named after the Phoenician deity Adonis, has many temples and Ottoman-era water mills scattered along the banks of the Abraham river passing through. The project is said to have impacts on various levels. Hydrologically-speaking, the dam will affect river flow and disrupt the vast underground network of aquifers feeding the Jeita spring and significantly draining it. This spring is Beirut’s main water source and of utmost importance for the underground rivers passing through the Jeita caverns. In addition, the carbonate rocks of the area form karst containers, a permeable geological structure that makes water retention very difficult and is hence not suitable for building a dam. Thousands of trees have already been chopped down and hundreds of thousands more are projected to follow suit, causing erosion, destruction of habitats and whole ecosystems including the 16,000 acre Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve, a few miles downstream of where the dam is being built. The reserve, a UNESCO-recognized biosphere, is recognized as a protected by the Ministry of Agriculture. The whole process has been very ambiguous and secretive, as information about the project was not made public or easily accessible including the two Environmental Impact Assessments Reports on which the construction decision was based. The construction also began before the presentation of these reports to the public during a consultation that took place on September 25, 2014. Lebanon Eco Movement, a network of Lebanese environmental associations, has been the front runner in campaigning against the construction of this dam. Using drone footage, the movement could show the extend of the destruction caused by the construction works. On May 31 2016, they were able to fly a drone above the construction site showing the public that the construction works have not stopped despite the order of cessation issued a few days before. Under pressure, the construction was suspended in May 2016 pending a final decision, only to resume a few days later despite the order of cessation. |
Name of conflict: | Janna Dam, Lebanon |
Country: | Lebanon |
State or province: | Mount Lebanon |
Location of conflict: | Nahr Ibrahim |
Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Type of conflict. 1st level: | Water Management |
Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Deforestation Dams and water distribution conflicts |
Specific commodities: | Land Water Electricity |
Project details | The dam is expected to have a fixed storage capacity of 38 million cubic meters and a mobile storage capacity of between 80 and 90 million cubic meters. The dam will provide around 700,000 people (Within the Jbeil and Northern Beirut areas) with drinking and irrigation water as well as generating 4 MW of Energy. |
Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 300,000,000.00 |
Type of population | Semi-urban |
Start of the conflict: | 11/03/2013 |
Company names or state enterprises: | Constructura Andrade Gutierrez S.A. (AG) from Brazil |
Relevant government actors: | Ministry of Energy and Water Ministry of Environment Council for Development and Reconstruction Establishment of the Water for Beirut and Mount-Lebanon |
International and Finance Institutions | The World Bank (WB) from United States of America |
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Lebanon Eco Movement, which is a large network of environmental organizations and associations assembling around sixty NGOs from all over Lebanon |
Intensity | LOW (some local organising) |
Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
Groups mobilizing: | Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Local scientists/professionals |
Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Media based activism/alternative media Objections to the EIA Public campaigns Street protest/marches Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity Potential: Desertification/Drought, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Soil erosion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality |
Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Loss of livelihood, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Project Status | Unknown |
Conflict outcome / response: | Corruption New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study Project temporarily suspended |
Proposal and development of alternatives: | Use of underground water recharged yearly by snowmelt and rainfall [2] Cluster of smaller dams, posing lesser threats on the environment [3] |
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
Briefly explain: | Not enough pressure was exerted for the project to be stopped completely. The cessation order was not applied. In addition, no serious alternatives were proposed by activists. The project also had a lot of proponents even from the region where it is being built, including mayors. It is also important to note that the whole process was very shady and secretive, making it difficult for activists and opponents to get information about the project. |
Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Contributor: | Christophe Maroun |
Last update | 18/08/2019 |
Conflict ID: | 2514 |
Images |
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Protest against Janna Dam
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/May-26/353851-lebanese-mps-allege-delay-of-janna-dam-is-political.ashx
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Save Adonis Valley
https://www.facebook.com/LebanonEcoMovement/photos/gm.247880808911924/989725404468650/?type=3&theater
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