All illegal quarries in Lebanon are closed and rehabilitated

Make a responsible and sustainable use of Lebanon’s natural resources while safeguarding the wellbeing of future generations

A Clean, Preserved and Resilient Environment

1.Quarrying impacts land resources, ecology, and natural landscapes irreversibly

2.They remove topsoil, destroy natural vegetation, alter ecosystems, cause air pollution, and reduce the aesthetic value of the surrounding landscape

3.Quarries reduce the value of surrounding land annually by 16-71% and the value of apartments by 16-45% (WB, The Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Program (METAP))

4.The current economic crisis might reduce the demand for cement and hence reduce quarrying

1.Surface of quarries outside of the areas designated by the National Plan

2.Surface of quarries rehabilitated

1.During the post-civil war reconstruction, there was high demand for various construction materials, which lead to the proliferation of quarries throughout Lebanon

2.There are currently 52.000.000 m2 of quarries in the entire country

3.For a country the size of Lebanon, the occurrence of 5 cement plants has a perverse effect on the environment

4.Although laws and decrees have tried regulating quarry creation and operations, illegal quarries still operate in plain sight. More than 95% of quarries are located outside of the areas designated by the National Plan of Sites Suitable for Quarries of the Ministry of Environment

5.These quarries have had a severe impact on the local environment. Landscapes and ecosystems have been altered, causing severe damage to the biodiversity and deteriorating groundwater resources. In addition to the depletion of rural resources by quarries which are destroying agricultural economies, disfiguring landscapes, harming inhabitants, and threatening to wipe out entire villages

6.The quarries that have been forced to close by law left a legacy of some 1,000 sites without proper rehabilitation. If these quarries are not rehabilitated, their negative environmental and socio-economic impacts will be substantial

1.Rising demand for construction aggregates, but that might stall or decline following the economic crisis

2.Large scale infrastructure projects including sea reclamation

3.Political power struggle, monopolies, corruption and the cement industry cartel dominate the industry, as it would be cheaper to import cement than produce it in Lebanon. Prohibitively high tariffs (up to 75 %) on cement imported from outside Lebanon keep foreign competitors at bay

4.Most licenses are obtained through political or economic clout, without going through the steps specified by Decree 8803/2002 and without complying to its conditions

5.Vague institutional and legal frameworks: Quarrying is vastly unregulated with almost complete absence of law enforcement. Disorganization in planning and maintenance of quarries is exacerbated by the fact that several institutions are charged with its governance

6.Imprecise legal instruments for enforcement of rehabilitation, and lack of financial incentives to encourage quarry owners to invest in rehabilitation programs. For e.g., enforcement of Decree 8803 regulations remains deficient

1.In 2002, Decree 8803 established the National Council for Quarries, composed of nine institutions and chaired by the Ministry of Environment. The decree:

• Sets forth a long-overdue National Master Plan for Quarries, which designated the anti-Lebanon Mountain range as the sole legal quarrying site
• Requires quarry contractors to rehabilitate the sites they quarry and imposes fines in cases of non-compliance

2.The regulation and rehabilitation of quarries is being addressed by a separate project, ABQAR, at the Ministry of Environment.

3.In late 2019, Hassan Diab’s new government attempted to make a stand against illegal quarries, many of which provide raw materials to Cimenterie Nationale, Lafarge Holcim, and Sibline; but ever since, every decision for closure has been followed by consecutive temporary authorization for resuming operations (latest issued in March 2021)

Policy Action

1.Establish, implement and enforce a plan and budget for quarries rehabilitation

2.Close and rehabilitate all quarries located outside of the areas designated by the National Plan of Sites Suitable for Quarries

3.Explore alternates for cement and aggregates

4.Reorganize the entire industry from extraction to cement production

5.Encourage more environment-friendly practices through financial incentives such as:

• Increasing the price of the extracted products through a landfill tax, which would make it costly to dispose of demolition and construction waste
• Incentivizing the recycling process of the waste, creating more robust financial guarantees for rehabilitation and prosecuting operators who abandon the quarries

6.Explore phasing-out the cement industry in Lebanon