Title: Suspension of Licensing Mechanism for Drilling Wells

The Minister of Energy and Water in the caretaker government, Walid Fayad, issued a decision numbered 9, suspending the licensing mechanism for drilling all types of private artesian wells in Lebanese territory until September 1, 2024. The decision states: "The Minister of Energy and Water, based on decree number 7376 dated September 10, 2021 (formation of the government), is awaiting the implementation decree for Article 35 of Law 192/2020 (Water Law) prepared by the ministry, which pertains to determining the conditions and regulations for licensing the exploration of water and the use of groundwater and surface water, as well as executing various ongoing works. This decision is also intended to allow for the processing of accumulated requests for artesian well licenses within the administration due to the low number of human resources and the working hours practiced in the administration, and to prepare for the digitization of these files and tracking their movement within the administration. Accordingly, the licensing mechanism for all types of private artesian wells is suspended until September 1, 2024, and Liban Post is instructed to stop receiving license applications."