Litani project kick-starts

Major irrigation project to be built by Kharafi group and two Turkish firms

The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) signed the agreement with the contractors for the construction of the Litani River project.

The first phase of the major ‘South Lebanon Irrigation Project’ will kick start in a few weeks.

The construction of phase one will be implemented through a joint venture between Kuwaiti group Mohamed Abdulmohsin Kharafi, and the two Turkish companies Vinsan Veziroglu and Guris.

The cost of this phase of the project is estimated at around $330 million.
The project is funded through loans from the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
According to the CDR figures, funding from both sources totaled $216 million.
The first phase of the project, as estimated by the CDR studies, would be concluded in 2014.

The first phase of the Litani River project involves building a 51 km-long tunnel for carrying water. The project aims to secure the transfer of 110 million cubic meters of irrigation water per year to various regions of southern Lebanon. The project is expected to supply water to 150,000 donums of land (2,700,000 sqm).