TITLE:
Lebanon’s Water Resources Salinity Crisis
AUTHORS:
Mark Saadeh, Gebran Karam
KEYWORDS:
Seawater Intrusion, Groundwater Protection Zones, Total Dissolved Solids, Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS)
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.12 No.12,
December
19,
2024
ABSTRACT: Lebanon’s water sources, be it groundwater, springs, rivers or even tap water are notoriously plagued with a cocktail of contaminants from raw sewage, pesticides and fertilizers just to name a few, but the most salient being seawater intrusion, measured as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) or Electrical Conductivity (EC). Myriad water sources have been sampled and tested since 2023, for said salinity (TDS), with results exceeding local as well as international drinking water guidelines of 500 milligrams per liter in many instances. This deterioration is compelling most citizens to install costly desalination equipment, purchasing bottled water and paying private tankers for questionable water, forcing households to spend in excess of USD 850 per year. This study aims to assess the quality of multiple water sources including wells, springs and tap water emphasizing the impacts salinity imparts on the Lebanese population as a whole with some practical recommendations.