Lebanese Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi announced Tuesday that a "plan to address the expected water shortage this summer" will be presented this month to the Water and Energy Commission in Parliament. The low precipitation rates experienced this winter by Lebanon and the entire eastern Mediterranean region appear insufficient to replenish groundwater and surface water bodies, predicting an almost certain water shortage this summer.

"The heads of the water establishments have been asked to prepare a plan to address the expected shortage this summer. This plan should be ready this week to be presented this month to the Water and Energy Commission in Parliament. Work is ongoing on this subject, and I believe the plan is practically finalized," the minister said.

Saddi's remarks were reported after a meeting of the National Water Authority chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The minister explained that this authority "has an advisory role and issues recommendations related to the water sector, regarding sectoral strategy, the master plan and policies tailored to it." "Today, the authority approved its operating mechanism: It will meet every three months and monitor all issues related to the sector, taking the necessary recommendations," Saddi continued.

Participating in the meeting were the presidents of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Office, the South Lebanon Water Office and the North Lebanon Water Office, as well as the director general of the National Litani Office.

Only 25 to 30 percent of the annual precipitation was recorded this winter, according to Hassane Makhlouf, a professor at the Lebanese University, interviewed by L'Orient-Le Jour in early March.

In the Bekaa, precipitation only reached 190 mm, while the annual average is 470 mm, according to Ibrahim Tarchichi, president of the Federation of Farmers’ Unions of the Bekaa, interviewed at the same time. During the same period in 2024, the Bekaa had already received 600 mm of rain. While extremely low temperatures were recorded during the "Adam" storm in mid-February, reaching 6 degrees in Beirut, it generated only a very limited amount of precipitation.