Italian firm to develop water network in Beirut

$185 million contract partially funded by the World Bank

Italian construction firm Cooperativa Muratori & Cementisti (C.M.C. di Ravenna Società Cooperativa) won a $185 million contract to construct a 24 km-long tunnel and pipelines for the development of a water network in Beirut.

The project is part of a plan to supply areas of Greater Beirut with drinking water from the Awali River. A $200 million agreement was signed with the World Bank in 2012 to carry 40 million cubic meters of water per year to a reservoir connected to all areas of Greater Beirut. This amount aims to boost supply to all the areas at altitudes lower than 300 meters, all the way from Khalde to Nahr al-Mot in Dora.

The contract is co-financed by the World Bank and the Beirut Mount Lebanon Water Establishment (BMLWE). It includes works for the excavation of tunnels and water transfer pipes in Beirut. It was awarded by the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), as per a company statement.

C.M.C. is an Italian construction company that builds mainly transport infrastructure networks, including roads, motorways, tunnels, high-speed railways, and subways.