Officials accuse “Israel” of laying pipes to steal water from Lebanon’s South

Source: AFP, 29-9-2006
WAZZANI: Lebanese officials and residents of the South on Thursday accused the "Israeli" Army of stealing water from the Wazzani River. Mohammad Ghamlush, the engineer heading the Wazzani River pumping systems, told AFP that the "Israeli" Army sabotaged the water pumps on the river last week and installed a pipe to pump hundreds of cubic meters of water to "Israel".
During the last weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the government denounced what it called an "Israeli" violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought 34 days of hostilities to a close.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora discussed the issue over the phone with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on September 22, according to the National News Agency.
In a region where water is scarce, the issue may have dramatic consequences and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has begun to look into the matter.
"We did not yet get information on the water pumps from the patrols dispatched to Wazzani, upon a request from the Lebanese government," UNIFIL spokesman Alexander Ivanko told AFP.
However, he confirmed that "Israeli" workers and civilians have been repairing water pipes in the nearby village of Ghajar.
Ivanko said the "Israelis" had violated the UN-drawn border line between the two countries to fix the water pipes.
"We have informed the United Nations headquarters in New York about this," he said.
An "Israeli" Army spokesman said the military was investigating the issue.
Ghamlush said that on September 22, members of an "Israeli" patrol broke into the pumping station installed by the Lebanese Energy and Water Ministry in Wazzani.
The soldiers sabotaged the pumping machines and ordered him to leave the premises, he said.
Ghamlush said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helped Lebanese government workers to install two new power generators to restart the pumping systems.
He said "Israel" has installed two water pumps to transport water from the Wazzani through two pipes, which run toward villages in "Israel".
Ghamlush said the "Israelis" were pumping between 200 and 300 cubic meters of water from the Wazzani every day.
Wazzani Mayor Ahmed al-Mohammed has accused the "Israelis" of giving weak excuses. He said they were claiming that the operation was "legal," as the "Israeli" pumps were on the "Israeli" side of the border.