Field guide to monitor irrigation water quality in Lebanon

Water resources are under tremendous pressure due to growing demand, climate change and anthropogenic pollution in Lebanon. Rapidly declining water quality is a key indicator of the water resource degradation that characterizes now both the freshwater and marine environment across the country. The project “Improved Water Resources Monitoring System/Integrated Water Resources Management at regional level in Lebanon”, funded by the Swiss Government, is designed to establish a comprehensive water monitoring system in the North of Lebanon with the overall objective to strengthen the capacity of Lebanon’s water institutions and improving their performance at regional level, thereby helping them address the sector challenges for sustainable use of water resources. The term 'comprehensive monitoring system' refers to the integrated information generation, capturing quantity, quality and demand of agricultural water, as well as the climate parameters. The project outcome is a timely contribution to the water sector development in Lebanon, which is now encountering a period of unprecedented difficulties, aggravated by the economic crisis.