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As the Syrian crisis enters its third year, the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon continues to rise. Many of them are gathering in slums and informal shelter sites in different regions of Lebanon, but primarily in the North, in Minieh, Akkar, and Tripoli, and in the middle Bekaa region. These new arrivals are placing further resource strain on host communities and municipalities that are already under immense pressure in terms of infrastructure, livelihoods, and service delivery.
The issues of sewage, water, garbage, and electricity have been identified as the key source of tensions in these areas. In many of the informal shelter sites, sewage and garbage are being dumped near agricultural land and water supplies, raising concerns over public health in these communities and posing a threat to local livelihoods.
The Lebanese Refugee Council (LRC) is a newly created organization made up of technical experts such as engineers, legal experts, and field workers based in Tripoli that focuses on finding solutions and responding to emerging needs due to the refugee crisis in Lebanon LRC will procure and provide water and sanitation equipment for these municipalities to be distributed and installed at 10 informal shelter sites in the above municipalities. These sites host more than 5,000 refugees and are surrounded by more than 15,000 Lebanese residents who are directly affected by the current lack of infrastructure and services.
RC Beirut-Cedars with LRC will buy mobile bathroom units, each made up of four to six toilets and showers, for 10 informal shelter sites in an average of two rooms per site. The procurement will also include water tanks, solar water heaters, and pipes that will be used by the municipalities to link the bathrooms to the existing municipal wastewater network instead of polluting agricultural lands, as is the case now.
LRC will sign a memorandum of understanding with the local municipalities to insure that the latter is responsible for the proper use of the equipment and will provide appropriate labor, supervision, and management for the equipment provided.
Through this Rotary grant, LRC will enable four municipalities in Akkar and Minieh to enhance service delivery in host communities where tensions are on the rise due to resource strain. By addressing the critical issues of water and sanitation at informal shelter sites in these areas, LRC will reduce health and hygiene hazards for both Lebanese host families and Syrian refugees and reduce tensions between these communities.
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