Out of curiosity went today to visit the St Cassien lake/dam near me in the outskirts of Massif de l’Esterel. Below picture shows the bordering rocks. The Hydrogeological mapping actually is extensive in literature and dates back in 1959.

Below picture taken from another project around the lake feasibility study (200 pages). I circuled the word I was looking for: Impermeable.

Studies for #BisriDam were commissioned to the CDR in Lebanon and barely indulged in geotechnical analysis because the decision makers wanted to secure funding for the project, at any cost. They didn’t consider a second that if they controlled well the process, they’d fail.

CDR commissioned AUB students to analyse water samples in their lab. Most of the EIA focused on fauna, flora and population displacement angles. When challenged by activists following the enormity of the risk of losing the Valley, @WorldBank finally demanded consultations.

As everything here, the project was driven by politics and not by in depth scientific studies. Most of lebanon is covered in limestone mostly Karstic systems (see below schema). This lead us to develop speleological tourism such as visiting Jeita Grotto.

The CDR has decided a while ago, that keeping its poor report on line is a PR disaster and had decided to pull that out, until now.
https://twitter.com/hayssman/status/1283968966491242502?s=21 https://twitter.com/hayssman/status/1283968966491242502

Now that they project is cancelled, Lebanese officials but also WB’s have to answer to why we got here. Why we didn’t commission a hydrological resources plan? Why are we not considering more urban storage facilities that fill in winter? Why not rationalise consumption?