The waters of the Berdawni River turned white and black. (Photo provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
The National Litani Office announced Monday that it launched an investigation to identify the source of pollution in the Berdawni River, which runs through Zahleh after its waters turned whitish and blackish.
"Teams from the office have observed a change in the color of the waters, suggesting that some industrial companies are discharging untreated industrial liquids into the river," the statement said. According to the office, this "threatens the tourism season for establishments along the banks of the Berdawni and also jeopardizes water quality as well as the agricultural season."
The office added that it will take legal action against those responsible and hold "the municipality accountable for negligence regarding violations of water resources."
This was not the first time the waters of this river have been polluted. In December 2018, the Mimosa tissue paper production plant, located in Qaa al-Rim, near Zahleh, was closed after being implicated in pollution of the Berdawni River, the waters of which had turned black due to chemical components that had been discharged. Several months earlier, residents of Zahleh were unpleasantly surprised to see the river's waters tinted red.