The Information Office of the Ministry of Public Health issued the following statement:

There have been lately conflicting reports issued by official and unofficial sources concerning the polluted beaches in Lebanon, knowing that Law No. 77/2018, in particular articles 26, 17, 28 and 32 of the same stipulate that controlling the quality of surface water, groundwater and coastal water falls under the responsibility of the Energy and Water Ministry. It is therefore important to officially identify the polluted beaches and inform the citizens, given the health damages pollution can cause to beachgoers.

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani wrote to the Energy and Water Ministry asking this latter to notify the Ministry of Public Health of the periodic tests’ results to assess the validity of the two conflicting reports issued by LARI’s Director General Dr. Michel Ephrem and the CNRS’ secretary General in order to prevent the citizens from swimming in polluted beaches.

In this context, it is worth noting that some research may not have been conducted based on scientific standards. The competent authority should identify the quality of water and take the necessary measures.