Environmental Assessment and Legal Approach of Qaraoun Artificial Lake, Lebanon

Abstract

The Qaraoun artificial Lake, being one of the biggest water resources in Lebanon, is subject to pollution from different sources. The Qaraoun artificial Lake has recently become a wastewater collector from the river upstream. Human activities that exist near the lake exaggerate the problem. In addition to analysis of water and field verification, modern techniques of remote sensing and statistical study were applied to facilitate identification of the main pollutants governing the lake water, and comparing the results of each parameters with the international and national guidelines for drinking water to induce the anomalous values in this study. The study looks to the Qaraoun artificial Lake as one part, for this reason physico-chemical, organic chemical and inorganic non-metallic samples were collected monthly between 2007 and 2012 from the same site of the lake, and analyzed in order to determine water quality and the correlation between each parameter. Moreover there is no effect of year between 2007 and 2012 for all parameters except for nitrates and sulfates that makes respectively 2011 and 2008 two special years, therefore we studied the month effect of all parameters that shows: ammonia, nitrites, dissolved oxygen, phosphates and pH are not within the recommended guidelines suggested by LIBNOR, EU and WHO. A legal approach was conducted to put adopted recommendations. The solution will be in the application of the environmental laws in general and the promulgation of environmental decrees in particular, because these decrees are still in their embryonic stage.