Scandal in Baalbek: Crops Irrigated with Sewage Water

The "National Authority for the Litani River" announced in a statement that "coordination has taken place between the Prosecutor General in Baalbek, Judge Monif Barakat, the General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Louis Lahoud, and the General Director of the National Authority for the Litani River, Sami Alouie, to assign technical teams to intensify monitoring of irrigation cases using sewage and to control violations in coordination with the regional director of the State Security in Baalbek, Brigadier General Nabil Zouki, under the supervision of the General Director of State Security, Major General Tony Saliba. This comes after the Authority's teams observed farmers in the Taanayel area of Zahle irrigating fields of tomatoes, eggplants, and leafy vegetables with sewage water. Measures have been taken by the Baalbek Governor, Judge Kamal Abu Joud, and the regional directorate of State Security to control the violation and pursue the perpetrators under the supervision of the relevant judiciary." The statement concluded: "An investigation has begun under the supervision of the Prosecutor General in Baalbek, and Judge Barakat has immediately instructed the necessary actions against the violating farmer, preventing them from handling the harvest, confiscating the pump, and taking samples from the water in preparation for deciding on the action to be taken regarding the crops based on the results of the samples."