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On November 4, 2010 the World Bank’s Inspection Panel received a complaint from a Lebanese citizen representing himself and approximately 50 Beirut inhabitants who say that a World Bank water project will have negative impacts environmentally and economically. Management at the Bank has until December 13, 2010 to respond to the complaint.
The Inspection Panel officially registered a case today, November 11, 2010, which was submitted by a Beirut inhabitant who was writing on behalf of himself and approximately 50 other inhabitants. The Requester raised issues of transparency, consultation, environmental risks and economic burdens that would be placed on the citizens of Greater Beirut if the Bank implements a project called the Greater Beirut Water Supply Project (GBWSP). The timing of this case is unique in that the Bank’s Management is expected to provide a response to the complaint before the scheduled Board date for the project itself which has yet to be approved.
The Lebanese Government has been considering the project since the 1960s and in the 1990s, the World Bank became involved through the provision of technical assistance but then dropped the project before any financing for implementing the project was disbursed. In 2010, the project was brought back to the Bank’s attention and is now being considered. The Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on the project on December 16th 2010 while Management’s response is due on December 13th 2010.
The GBWSP, which consists of a series of tunnels, water treatment plants, reservoirs, a distribution network, and metering, is designed to meet Greater Beirut’s demand for 250,000 m3 of water per day from the Litani/Awali rivers. The total cost of the project is $370 million, of which $200 million will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in the form of a Special Investment Loan. The rest will be financed by the Government of Lebanon (GoL) and the Beirut Mount Lebanon Water Establishment (BMLWE). The CDR (Council for Development and Reconstruction) and the BMLWE will oversee the implementation of the project.
The complaint about the project questions the rationale behind the choice of the Litani and Awali rivers as the sources of water for the project, given that there are alternate water sources that are closer to Beirut than the Litani and Awali. Other concerns include the high pollution affecting these water sources, the potential impact of the project on agriculture-dependent communities, the high cost of the project and the resulting high tariffs that will be burdened by Lebanese citizens, and other social and environmental effects. There are a number of possible policy violations that the Inspection Panel has laid out in the Notification of Request seen below.
Projects financed by the World Bank should adhere to a strict set of environmental and social safeguard policies and procedures. In cases of possible violations, and after attempting and failing to resolve the concerns with the Bank’s management, members from project affected communities are able to submit complaints to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel. This is an independent body through which citizens harmed by World Bank-financed projects are able to submit their complaints and grievances.
Read the Inspection Panel’s Notice of Registration
Notice of Registration – Re: Request for Inspection (Inspection Panel website)Further Resources
World Bank Inspection Panel WebsiteWorld Bank’s project page for the Greater Beirut Water Supply project (World Bank website)