On 23 July, a fact-finding mission to Arsal municipality in Lebanon’s Baalbek District, led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza and including WHO Representative in Lebanon Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, UNICEF deputy representative Ettie Higgins, Head of Office for OCHA Kristen Knutson and representatives of stakeholders, including the Ministry of Public Health and other ministries, assessed the challenges facing access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and the associated public health risks.
The mission began with a meeting at the office of Baalbek-Hermel Governor Bachir Khodr, followed by a meeting at the Arsal Municipality where challenges, bottlenecks and opportunities were raised by neighbourhood- and village-level representatives who voiced concerns over the quality of water being delivered to their homes, the lack of a water filtration station, growing population pressures on the system and the unequal distribution of humanitarian aid. Ministry of Energy and Water and WASH sector representatives pointed out that there was no evidence of contamination of domestic water supplies.
A visit to Al Iman Health Centre and acute watery diarrhoea sentinel site was undertaken to better understand the burden of disease and health programme operational challenges faced by primary health care facilities. Mission members took the opportunity to thank the centre’s staff for their hard work in extremely difficult circumstances.
The next stop was an informal settlement in Arsal, comprising 63 households, which has experienced recurring sanitation and wastewater removal issues. The final leg of the mission’s itinerary was to the wastewater dumping ponds on the outskirts of Arsal.
The visit highlighted the problems faced by residents of Arsal, which hosts a significant number of Syrian refugees.
After the visit, Imran Riza said: “Opportunities exist to build sustainable and effective solutions to key water, sanitation and health challenges. Communities’ concerns should inform how we move ahead.”
Dr Abubakar highlighted the importance of engaging with “local communities and partners to gain a better understanding of health and WASH situation”.
“Humanitarian needs among Arsal’s communities are high and an urgent response is needed.”
He thanked Governor Bashir Khodr for welcoming the UN team, saying: “We value the collaboration between the governor's office and humanitarian partners to better address the needs of local communities in Arsal and other locations.”
