16 September 2010

BSHARRI: The north Lebanon village of Bsharri has been the scene of numerous development projects in the past months after its municipal council observed neglect in various fields.

The new Bsharri municipal council was elected on May 30, 2010, and has since launched a large-scale campaign to develop the village and its surroundings.

Bsharri Mayor Antoine al-Khoury Tawq told The Daily Star that the region was suffering from neglect, adding that basic public services still needed to be organized.

“We’ve started working according to a list of priorities that the council set during a tour of the village,” he said.

Among these priorities included the regulation of a waste-disposal system. The municipality has started putting together a detailed report for processing waste-water and collecting trash.

“It’s unacceptable that waste-water continues pouring into the Qadisha River … The council is facing problems disposing waste because the Hamat landfill, used by the villages in the region, is closed. A new landfill should be found,” the Bsharri mayor explained.

The problem is more of a concern because some locals throw their waste in forest lands and valleys, especially around the Qannoubine Valley, which is struggling to preserve its place on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.

During its tour of the region, the municipal council also noticed a decrease in green spaces and a random expansion of concrete buildings. It therefore launched a plan to create gardens, the execution of which is to begin soon.

“The council also wants to beautify the village,” Tawq said, adding that the roads have been cleaned and widened, and water canals have been unblocked after having been obstructed for years.

“We also have to prepare for the winter ahead,” Tawq noted. The winter season is particularly prosperous for Bsharri due to the nearby Cedar ski slopes.

Nonetheless, the campaign is facing financial difficulties, according to Tawq who said that the municipality was still waiting for money to come from the Independent Municipal Fund. “Till then, we’re doing our best,” he said.

Meanwhile, the municipality is depending on financial help from Bsharri MPs Strida Geagea and Elie Keyrouz, and from Bsharri expatriates, who help the village on the economic and social levels.

Several projects to reinforce communication between the locals and the Lebanese diaspora are being prepared, including cultural, humanitarian and social projects. To this effect, the municipality decided to form a diaspora circle to be responsible for guaranteeing communication between expatriates and Lebanon, via internet and conventions.

Tawq stressed the importance of such ties and said “Bsharri would not have developed without the help of expatriates and locals would not have been able to stay in their homes.”

The Bsharri mayor complained that few job opportunities were available in the village and young people were always tempted to move to the city.

The municipality has been trying to solve the unemployment problem during the past months by encouraging tourism and agriculture.

Kick-starting the tourism sector would mainly depend on promoting visits to the Gibran Khalil Gibran museum, the nearby Cedar forest and the Qannoubine valley. “Tourism is growing day after day and we need to use this sector to create job opportunities for young people,” Tawq said.

As for agricultural projects, they mainly aim at helping the locals improve the quality of their products, find an appropriate market and start growing crops that are in demand. The campaign will also focus on limiting the misuse of water in order to provide local farmers with the necessary irrigation water.

The Bsharri mayor then urged concerned officials to stop the illegal use of Qornet al-Sawda water and to help reform the village’s infrastructure because the municipality did not have the capacity to execute such a big project.

“There are many things that still need to be done in Bsharri,” Tawq said.

Copyright The Daily Star 2010.