Litani River A Workshop at BAU

Under the auspices and in the presence of Minister of the Environment Mr. Mohamed Mashnouk, Beirut Arab University organized, in its campus in Beqaa, a workshop entitled “Litany River from its Source to its Estuary: “Vision and Solutions”. The workshop was attended by MPs Assem Eraji, MP. Jamal Jarah, and ex-MP Dr. Ismail Sukkaria, as well as Prof. Amr Galal El Adawi, President of BAU, the heads of municipalities in Beqaa, the deans of BAU Faculties, interested Faculty members and people concerned. 
The event opened with the National Anthem and BAU anthem, followed by a welcoming note from Prof.. Hania Nakkash, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at BAU.  Prof. Nakkash mentioned that the water pollution is an extremely dangerous problem because it leaves negative effects on many aspects in our daily lives and at different levels. It destroys the Water Environment in addition to all crops and thus affecting its production and export to other countries, in addition to the damage of the economical and touristic Projects and investments.
Prof. Amr El Adawi highlighted the fact that Universities are no longer just concerned with education, but also with research and community services. In the light of this, BAU, through the Research Center for Environment and Development with its Faculties and in collaboration with the National Council for Scientific Research, the Litany River National Authority, the Lebanese University and the International Institute for the Management of Water, has conducted various important studies and activities relevant to this issue. Prof. El Adawi added that there is an urgent need to find realistic and feasible solutions, expressing his hope that the workshop would contribute effectively to the proposal of scientific solutions.
The Minister of the Environment, Mr. Mohamed El Mashnouk, spoke next and highlighted the Ministry’s achievements in the Litany dilemma and proposed recommendations for the near future. 
Mr. El Mashnouk concluded that the academic sector is directly concerned since it is essential to intensify the production of relevant research and studies. There is no doubt that scientific research is the backbone for the development of the environmental sector and the ecological health and hence the safety of the citizens.
MP Dr. Jamal El Jarah announced that the infra-structure for the cleansing of the Litany River and its riverbed is now ready. 
Ex-MP Dr. Ismail Sukkaria discussed the significant increase in the prevalence of cancer cases in Lebanon and listed the serious side effects of pollution on the human body ad all of its systems.
Then, Dr. Hussein Abdel Monem Amiri , the Head of Free Arts and the International Studies Department at Colorado University talked about how to “Revive the Litany River” considering that the quality and the quantity of the Litany River is threatened by different and various sources . In order to revive it, we should cooperate with Stakeholders and coordinate with them because the stakeholders, public farmers and industrials, literates and illiterates, poor and rich are the direct beneficiaries from the Litany River. Dr Amiri emphasized on the necessity of conserving the Litany River because it is an ethical and religious issue thus uniting all the Lebanese People. Pollution will affect everyone and will weaken the economy and the Agricultural Sector while conserving it will lead to attracting all the Touristic Investments and will revive the economy. 
The workshop recommendations emphasized the need to adopt incentives for the preservation of the quantity and the quality of the Litani River water, while demanding a faster adoption of projects that combat pollution.