Bekaa's Cry: We Will not Become Guardians

“Lebanon Debate”

Bachir Matar, Head of Qaa Municipality, has expressed serious concerns about the Lebanese-Syrian agreement to distribute water from the Al-Assi River, which restricts the maintenance and drilling of wells in the town. He voiced his alarm on behalf of farmers in Al-Qaa who rely on artesian wells to irrigate their lands and sustain their livelihoods in these critical times.

In an interview with “Lebanon Debate” Matar confirmed that the decision prohibiting farmers from isolating their wells, crucial for crop irrigation, threatens their livelihoods and lands, putting them at risk of drought.

He also noted that the Lebanese Syrian agreement is flawed and asserted it fails to benefit Qaa and neighboring towns along the river by denying them access to water from the dam, and most importantly, it improperly cites the artesian wells dug in the basin area as part of Lebanon’s share.

However, the part regarding the ban on digging wells is being implemented meticulously, according to the agreement that was signed in 1994. This shows that there appears to be no genuine commitment to implement the dam project. Moreover, the joint Lebanese-Syrian committee's survey showed discrepancies, with many dams not properly registered and some under false names.

He criticized the Ministry of Energy's decision, led by Walid Fayad, to ban the digging until next October. Matar added: “This will heavily damage farmers and will endanger their livelihood. It seems clear that solutions have become impossible without mediation and circumvention of the law.”

He also stressed: “We ask the Lebanese government to stop working on the agreement because the Assi dam was not constructed and we can no wait until October or wait for bureaucracy procedures. Concerned authorities need to find a solution swiftly so that we can avoid any catastrophe that could threaten the farmer’s livelihood.”

Matar concluded: “We refuse to become guardians for the Syrian side of the river, prioritizing their interests over ours. This is a warning on behalf of all farmers. We will not remain silent. Today marks our first steps in media advocacy, and if no solution is reached, we will escalate our actions on the ground to achieve justice and defend our people and country's interests.”

بلدة بقاعية "تستغيث وتحذّر" المعنيين: لن نقبل أن نتحول حراسًا!