 |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||
25-03-2008 Operational update Lebanon: ICRC activities, February 2008 In addition to its regular activities in Lebanon, which include protection and assistance, the ICRC began the construction of a new underground reservoir as part of a major project to improve the water supply for the south of the country. Protection
The ICRC continued its visits to several places of detention in Lebanon, in line with its standard procedures. The aim of the visits, some of them with the attendance of an ICRC doctor, was to monitor the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees. Assistance Water After replacing war-damaged valves and connection lines at the water treatment plant at Taibe, in south Lebanon, more than a year ago, the ICRC started the construction of an underground reservoir on the site. The project was undertaken at the request of the local water board (SLWE), following serious leakages that lowered the output from the existing reservoir, damaged during the armed conflict in 2006. The new reservoir, with a capacity of 1,000 cubic metres, will double the water storage space at the plant, which is the main source of water for most of south Lebanon, ensuring the supply for hundreds of thousands of people. It will also allow the water board to begin the full renovation of the existing damaged reservoir without interrupting supply to villages. Taibe water treatment plant is undergoing an overall uplift and extension as part of a national project involving the SLWE and the Council and for Development and Reconstruction (CDR). In north Lebanon, at the Kadi spring station south of Tripoli, the ICRC helped restore water supply to some 14 villages (population around 25,000). The ICRC provided three new pumps to the station (only two of the original five were working). The ICRC is continuing the full restoration of the future national operations centre of the Lebanese Red Cross Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Hazmiyeh, east of Beirut. Health The ICRC assisted hospitals and dispensaries throughout Lebanon. It provided medical equipment for two hospitals run by the Palestine Red Crescent Society – Lebanon (PRCS-L), and medical supplies for dispensaries operated by the Islamic Health Society and ambulance services run by the organisation Risalat Scout. The assistance included surgical instruments, laboratory equipment, medicines and dressing material. Cooperation Cooperation with partners in the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, notably the Lebanese Red Cross Society (LRCS) and the PRCS-L, remains a vital part of ICRC activities. It provided support for the LRCS annual EMS national congress which discussed the society's training strategy. Other topics on the agenda were projects for upgrading IT and communication systems as well as the management and training of volunteers for emergency stations. Promoting humanitarian law As part of its efforts to raise awareness about international humanitarian law (IHL) among different sectors of the society, the ICRC carried out several dissemination sessions to arms carriers, medical personnel and first-aiders of health associations. It gave a series of dissemination sessions on the ICRC's mandate and the basic principles of IHL for police units in various parts of the country, as well as to cadets at the Warwar police training centre, east Beirut. Particular emphasis was placed on ICRC detention activities, including visiting procedures and support provided to detainees. Presentations on IHL and ICRC activities and mandate were made to medical staff at the Dar al Amal hospital in Baalbeck and first-aiders from the Islamic Health Society. The first of four seminars on implementing the "Exploring Humanitarian Law" programme in schools was held in Beirut. And the ICRC's mobile photo exhibition on "40 years in Lebanon" moved to Tyre at the end of February. |
