The file of chemical waste resulting from the Zouk and Jiyeh thermal plants entered a new environmental follow-up circle, after the National Litani River Authority conducted a field examination of the materials found in the Zahle landfill, to verify their nature, status, and potential effects on the soil, surface and groundwater.
The Authority explained, in a statement issued on August 13, 2026, that the technical teams conducted the inspection in coordination with the Municipality of Zahle, within the framework of following up on the file of materials that the Electricité du Liban Corporation had undertaken to obligate the work of transporting and disposing of to the “TECMO” company, with the approval of the Ministry of the Environment.
According to the delivery minutes, quantities of approximately 5 tons of “Sodium Metasilicate” were transferred to the contractor in September 2025 from the Zouk plant, in addition to 2,140 kg of “Hydrogel” and 560 kg of “Resin” from the Jiyeh plant.
The Authority indicated that the Zahle Municipality had warned the contractor of the need to remove these materials from the landfill.
It affirmed its solidarity and full cooperation with the Municipality of Zahle, stressing the necessity of transporting the materials to an approved and designated site for treatment or disposal in accordance with technical and environmental principles, in a way that prevents exposing the soil, water resources, environment and public health to any risks.
The Authority appealed to decision makers, ministries and concerned authorities not to transform the Litani River Basin into an area to absorb environmental burdens and risks resulting from problems originating in other regions, considering that environmental justice requires distributing burdens fairly and not transferring them from one region to another, especially to a basin that already suffers from serious accumulations of pollution and environmental pressures.
She stressed that protecting the Litani River Basin must be a basic criterion in any decision related to addressing environmental crises, stressing that any solutions to reduce the environmental burden on other areas must not be at the expense of the Litani, its waters, or the residents of its basin.
