Lebanon's potential as a unique water-rich Arab country has not been fully realized due to improper management techniques and a failure to find alternative resources, local experts told an international conference over the weekend. The International Conference on Integrated Water Resources Management in the Arab Region, held Friday at the Meridien Commodore Hotel, discussed prospects for improved policies and practices.

Dec. 17, 2006- "It is well known that something like 80 percent of all water resources on average are employed in agriculture. From this point of view, globally there is enough water to meet our needs, but not with current agricultural practices," American University of Beirut (AUB) president John Waterbury said in the keynote address.

Water "must be priced in such a manner as to reflect its scarcity value," he added. "There is no way to avoid pricing water. The issue is whether to let the black market do the pricing or recognized [government] markets" which have been reluctant to do so.

The conference was organized by AUB, the Arab Academy of Sciences, the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations Environment Program.

Delegates agreed that agriculture is the biggest culprit in decreasing household and industrial water supplies. Consensus emerged to increase the price of agricultural water to siphon more supply for domestic and industrial purposes.

In an interview with The Daily Star, Waterbury said that water for consumption should not be priced highly so all citizens - regardless of economic class - can have equal access.

"I'm mainly talking about pricing water for agriculture, as 80 percent of water used in Lebanon is for farming," he explained. "If this were regulated efficiently, it would mean there's no shortage for the [urban] population. Farmers will use water more efficiently if they have to pay for it ... If water is essentially free you don't have to worry about conserving it."

Efficient practices Waterbury discussed included increasing the price of energy on farms, so that the electricity used to pump water from wells would be expensive, and installing meters on farms that would charge by volume.

Such options would "send a message to farmers that wasting water is not an option and that they must use it more efficiently," he said.

Lebanon is more fortunate than most Middle Eastern countries because of its relatively generous water reserves. Three main trans-boundary rivers originate in Lebanon: the Wazaani, which flows into Israel, and the Assi and the Kabir, which both flow into Syria.

"We go unprepared [for] trans-boundary water-sharing negotiations," said speaker Ahmed Ghosn, a regional coordinator for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

All panelists agreed that proper data to assess how much water Lebanon deserves under international standards was lacking. Yet the government's priorities are elsewhere, setting environmental issues aside from national matters, marginalizing them.

Waleed al-Zubari spoke of the growing conflicts in the Middle East, making states prioritize security issues, negatively impacting the environment.

"To prevent national conflict, political elites concentrate the state's money and environmental resources to secure the state and prevent political breakdown," Zubari said. "[Governments] may appropriate large amounts of money from social and environmental programs to buy armaments instead."

Environmental issues need to be integrated into such national issues, he argued..

When asked if many wars occurred due to water-based conflicts, Dr. Nadim Farjalla replied: "That's a fallacy. Actually, there's more potential for cooperation than conflict. Pakistan and India share water resources, though they've been at war for a long time. But regionally, wars have been fought with Israel over water resources."

But Farjalla doesn't worry about future water-based conflicts with Israel, considering that "there's more efficiency these days to desalinate sea water and treat contaminated water for cheap."

Currently there's a project between Jordan and Israel called "The Red-Dead Canal" to desalinate water.

"Everybody is in agreement about the futility of war over water and are more ready to collaborate," Farjalla said.

He worries more about the internal crisis that will mount due to water scarcity.

"Our water demand is increasing and we will face chronic shortages by the year 2025, if not before," Farjalla said. "About 60-70 percent of all water resources are affected by bacterial contamination. We don't have a proper water treatment plant and we don't have a national plan or legislation."

Farjalla presented a research paper on a possible alternative water source - wadis, which are dry riverbeds that collect rainwater. He said there are 17 viable wadis in Lebanon that have not been tapped into. Farjalla added that the water supply from these wadis might equal three times the amount collected from the Litani River, Lebanon's principal water source.

"We need to look at sustainable alternative resources and wadis are a good alternative," Farjalla said. "This is a considerable source of water, but as usual in Lebanon, we need to do the proper research to assess the wadis' potential to avert a water [crisis]."