Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, alongside Sami Alawieh, director of the Litani River Authority, has issued a directive prohibiting the dumping of demolition waste along the banks and tributaries of the Litani River, Lebanon's largest waterway, which runs through the governorates of Baalbek-Hermel, Bekaa, and South Lebanon.

The circular, addressed to regional governors, municipalities, and district officials, comes as South Lebanon, Bekaa, and Nabatieh grapple with the aftermath of heavy Israeli bombardment during the recent war in Lebanon with Hezbollah, which was halted in a cease-fire agreement on Nov. 27. Initial estimates indicate that between 50 and 100 million tonnes of demolition rubble were left across Lebanese territory, particularly from late September through November.

Environmentalists have raised concerns that much of this debris could end up in public landfills, exacerbating pollution. Experts are already proposing solutions, including sorting, reusing and recycling the rubble.

Mawlawi stressed that during the reconstruction phase, dumping waste into the Litani’s riverbed, banks, public spaces and tributaries would be strictly prohibited.