In 2024, 26 out of 37 spots along the Lebanese coast were recommended for swimming, with low bacterial and organic pollution. Six sites were deemed cautionary to critical, with moderate levels of fecal bacteria, according to the National Center for Marine Sciences (CNRS).
CNRS has been monitoring the bacteriological contamination of Lebanese coastal water for almost 40 years, and the results of 2024 are more promising than those of 2023.
Beach Categorization: From Very Good to Critical
The beaches have been categorized based on the quality of the water, ranging from “Very Good” to “Critical.”
Good to Very Good:
– Batroun / Bahsa Beach
– Okeybeh / Nahr Ibrahim
Caution to Good:
– Tripoli / Mina
– Khaldeh / Sandy Beach
– Sarafand / Public Beach
Critical to Good:
– Menyeh / Sandy Beach
Polluted to Caution:
– Akkar / Klayaat
– Saida / Public Beach
Polluted to Critical:
– Beirut / Manara
Declined from Very Good to Good:
– Heri
– Jiyeh
– Rmeyleh
Local Fishery and Heavy Metal Contamination
Aside from sea water quality, the report also assessed the safety of local fish. All 11 fish species caught away from sewage or industrial outfalls showed safe levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury.
In terms of sea sediment contamination, heavy metals like vanadium, lead, copper, and cadmium were generally found at low concentrations, except for notable levels of cadmium and lead in the Tripoli area, including the public beach.
