On December 11th, 2021, ICU organised and implemented a workshop as part of the Lebanese case study in collaboration with the Municipality of Iaat. The main objectives of the workshop were to raise awareness, communicate and disseminate GOTHAM activities and results achieved in the mid-term phase, as well as to ensure continuous engagement of CoP’s members and stakeholders in the project activities.
A total of 29 participants were involved in the workshop: private well owners, end-users, farmers, regulators and organisations, people interested in environmental issues and experts.
The workshop was hosted by Mr Hussein Hoteit, ICU project manager. He took this opportunity to present the GOTHAM project and project partners. Attendants then had the chance to attend four technical training sessions on the following topics:
- Climate change and its impact on the agricultural sector in Baalbeck region
- Hydrogeological characterisation of Iaat and neighbourhood
- Ground water and pollution risks: Results of groundwater quality assessment in Iaat
- Results of Agricultural sector assessment in Iaat
The workshop ended with a group discussion: attendees were able to discuss many of the topics addressed during the technical sessions as well as other topics of importance for the farmers in Iaat. Several questions were raised about the cost of production and the yield of different crops, about prices especially at the farm gate and in the wholesale market, the amount of water consumed by each crop and which crops are the most profitable. There was also a discussion about water quality and whether the results obtained are representative, which is an early warning to work to maintain quality as well as about the feasibility of using treated water for agricultural irrigation.
By organising this workshop, the GOTHAM team reaffirms its will to be an inclusive and participatory project which gathers communities on fair and sustainable groundwater management.