While snow covers the peaks overlooking Beirut and rain floods its streets, the movement of water tankers across the city has not ceased. Amid their roar–now part of the capital’s constant noise–water moves through the alleys, transforming from a right into a commodity within the “Tanker Market,” an informal water economy composed of tanker owners and private wells that control distribution and prices outside regulatory frameworks, as previously documented in an earlier investigation by Daraj.

Water delivery by tankers is used in both developed and developing countries as a temporary measure during emergencies and disasters.In Lebanon, however, this option is no longer an exception but has become a permanent mechanism for securing water, reflecting the failure of the Lebanese state and the collapse of its obligations to uphold the right to water.

Following the rumble of the tankers, Daraj traced the locations of wells across the capital and its suburbs, revealing that 14 out of 28 wells are located within the premises of fuel stations or adjacent to them. These wells are distributed across Beirut, Hazmieh, Kfarchima, Jal El Dib, Naccache, Antelias, Sed El Bouchrieh, Jdeideh, Dekwaneh, and Dbayeh. Meanwhile, studies have warned of the risks of water contamination by hazardous chemicals resulting from fuel leakage, with such leakage estimated at approximately 1,500 liters per station over a decade.

Most tankers carried the labels “Water & Petroleum” or “Water & Diesel.” Tanker owners advertise their “water delivery service” through social media platforms or posters displayed on the streets of the capital.

Fuel and water stations

Fuel stations are no longer merely points for selling fuel; they have become an essential part of the underground water market. From within these stations, water is extracted to supply tankers, while the fuel needed to run them is sold on site, creating a dual profit cycle built on the sale of both water and fuel. Fuel stations thus become sites of conflicting interests, as Beirut’s water scarcity is transformed into an economic driver generating increasing profits the longer the crisis persists.

According to a former environmental official, “the presence of a car wash within a fuel station may constitute a legal cover for trading water.” He added: “A fuel station owner may hold a well licensed by the Ministry of Water and Energy for car-washing services, and under this license is able to extract water, which is then filled into tankers and sold”.

According to an intermediary working between the Ministry of Energy and owners of water wells to obtain drilling permits, “drilling licenses are granted through an application submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Water and signed by the Minister of Energy.” He added: “There are technical conditions for obtaining licenses, most notably maintaining distance from state wells and springs and ensuring no impact on public water resources.” He noted that until 2019, the Ministry of Energy and Water required licensed well owners to obtain an ‘exploitation license’, obliging them to install meters to measure extracted water quantities and pay an annual tax calculated based on the number of cubic meters pumped.” As for wells located inside fuel stations, “they are likely to hold an industrial license,” he told Daraj. The intermediary continued: “We drilled a well before establishing a fuel station on one property, but it was not intended for selling water, it was intended for car-washing services.”

According to a study conducted by the American University of Beirut in 2017 on 33 private wells, none of the wells were licensed to distribute domestic water. The study found that 21 wells held agricultural licenses, three belonged to car-wash facilities, two were for industrial use, and six were unlicensed.

The situation goes beyond disorder to a clear violation of legal frameworks. While Law No. 192/2020 amending Water Law 77/2018 prohibits the sale of water, Decree No. 5509/1994, which sets the general regulatory conditions for liquid fuel distribution stations, does not authorize the sale of water within station premises, as this activity is not explicitly listed among the permitted operations for any category of fuel stations.

Fuel Stations: One of the Most Prominent Sources of Groundwater Pollution

According to a 2012 study issued by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources in Germany (BGR) on assessing the environmental risks of fuel stations in the Jeita Spring basin, the most dangerous sources of pollution threatening the spring–which supplies the Dbayeh station and large areas of Beirut and Mount Lebanon–include fuel leakages from petrol stations, electricity generators, quarries, residential buildings, and car repair workshops. The institute notes that “the use of out-of-service oil or fuel tanks to sell water is common practice in Lebanon and poses a potential risk of water contamination.”

In this context, Lebanese MP and professor of chemical sciences Najat Aoun Saliba stated in an interview with “Daraj” that “household water tanks in the Hamra area of Beirut were contaminated in January as a result of transporting water in tankers that had previously been used to transport fuel.”

Saliba warned against adding chlorine to water tanks contaminated with fuel, as it poses a serious health risk due to the reaction between diesel components and chlorine, which produces carcinogenic substances. She explained that “cleaning tanks from diesel is very difficult,” noting that conventional methods used when contamination involves E. coli bacteria–including adding chlorine, boiling water, or exposing it to sunlight–are not effective when contamination results from diesel.

Regarding water extraction from within or adjacent to fuel station premises, Saliba said there is a possibility of petroleum substances leaking into water wells drilled inside or next to stations, stressing that “water is a public right and may not be extracted from underground and sold via tankers.” Saliba, in cooperation with the Socio Economic Institute for Development (SEID), addressed a parliamentary question to the government requesting discussion of the “water tanker trade,” but has not received a response to date.

Who Owns the Water Stations?

As of the publication of this investigation, Daraj has not received any response from the Ministry of Energy and Water regarding its request for access to information on licensed and unlicensed wells, submitted on September 9, 2025, and registered under number 2215/2025. We were unable to verify the legal status of wells located inside fuel stations. One worker in the sector summarized the reality: “If you want to talk about the law, stations shouldn’t even be located next to houses in the first place.” “Daraj” attempted to submit a request for access to information to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities regarding these wells, but the ministry refused to register the request on the grounds that the competent authority is the Ministry of Energy and Water.

Regarding the overlap between the water and fuel sectors, a worker in the oil sector told “Daraj”: “It’s called the Ministry of Energy and Water.” In this context, he justified the presence of water wells inside fuel stations by saying: “Every station must have water; otherwise, how would they wash cars?” However, this “technical justification” does not stop at providing water for car washing, as the same speaker owns tankers for water distribution. As for the mechanism of water distribution, he summarized it by saying: “There is no mechanism, and no one has a license. You are in Lebanon.” He continued: “If the state tells me anything, I tell them I have water for car-washing services.” He added: “The state has neither electricity nor water. We are filling the state’s role. And if we–four or five big companies–decide to stop selling, there will be an outcry,” noting that he distributes water to companies, homes, and hospitals in Beirut and its suburbs.

One tanker owner summarized this overlap by saying: “Lebanon is the only state where you can do whatever you want. Today you’re an employee; tomorrow you’re operating cargo ships and paying tax, and no one says anything.”

“Daraj” documented tankers filling water from “naouras” or wells located within or adjacent to the premises of United, Coral, Hipco-Malapco, Medco, and Total stations. “Daraj” attempted to contact these companies to inquire about their responsibility toward “naouras” or wells located within or adjacent to their stations, their management mechanisms, whether they are properly licensed, as well as the results of water quality tests conducted on the extracted water and the preventive measures adopted to avoid contamination. No response was received as of the date of publication.

A Drop of Fuel Can Contaminate 300 Cubic Meters of Water

In the absence of oversight and amid widespread disorder, natural resources shift from a right and a source of life into a public health risk. Just a few meters away from fuel tanks, water is sold without any bacteriological or chemical testing, turning these filling points into hidden gateways for cancer to seep into citizens’ bodies.

A worker in the oil sector told Daraj: “It’s impossible for gasoline to leak into the groundwater because the tank is made of iron and insulated. “If it leaks, I would be in trouble before the water ever gets contaminated’. He explained that water cleanliness is verified through a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) test, which measures the concentration of dissolved substances in water such as minerals, organic materials, and salts, noting that the recorded level is around 250 mg/L. According to World Health Organization guidelines, drinking water containing less than 300 mg/L of dissolved solids is classified as “excellent in taste,” though this does not constitute a standard for assessing bacteriological or chemical safety or the water’s impact on public health.

According to Marcus Hilpert, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “fuel can penetrate concrete and reach soil and groundwater, threatening the health of residents who rely on wells as their water source.” A study conducted by Hilpert indicates that “the amount of gasoline leaked during vehicle refueling alone is estimated at around 1,500 liters per station over a decade, exposing residents to toxic chemicals, most notably benzene, which is known to cause cancers in humans.” Meanwhile, the BGR study indicates that a single drop of fuel can contaminate approximately 300 cubic meters of water.

Underground fuel tanks are among the most prominent sources of groundwater contamination, as they contain toxic organic compounds and heavy metals such as lead, which causes damage to the brain and nervous system, kidney and heart disorders, developmental delays in children, and an increased risk of cancer.

As these tanks age, the likelihood of fuel leakage into the soil increases, contaminating groundwater with harmful chemicals that affect public health. Contaminated water often migrates beyond the leakage site, posing a threat to drinking water sources and living organisms in the surrounding environment.

A well owner located adjacent to a fuel station told “Daraj”: “We have had a license for thirty years,  and we pay taxes based on the amount of water extracted from the well, as recorded by meters installed by the Ministry of Energy.” Regarding the possibility of well water contamination due to its proximity to the station, he added: “The Ministry of Energy conducts the necessary water tests, and one of its reports stated that our water is safe for drinking.” He concluded: “That’s all the information I can give you.”

Tankers Following in the Footsteps of Generators

According to the State of the Environment in Lebanon 2021 report, tanker water is among the most contaminated water sources in Lebanon.

“Daraj” contacted the Ministry of Public Health to inquire whether it independently or jointly with the Ministry of Energy and Water or water establishments conducts testing of private well water or tanker water. The ministry stated that the matter falls under the Ministry of Energy and Water. “Daraj” also attempted to contact Suzy Hoayek, advisor to the Ministry of Energy, to inquire about the ministry’s plan regarding tankers, water testing, and sector regulation, but received no response as of publication.

However, during a discussion of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) report titled “Arab Watch Report 2025” Ministry of Energy advisor Suzy Hoayek stated that “as part of establishing a legal framework regulating wells, the Council of Ministers approved the implementing decree of Water Law 192/2020, which introduces a new well licensing system that will take effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette.” She added: “This system relies on precise procedures including monitoring and tracking mechanisms for extraction quantities.”

She indicated that “water tankers play a role in bridging the gap in water supply and meeting citizens’ needs, and the ultimate goal is to provide water through state pipelines. But at the current stage, and given the difficulty of regulating all sources and protecting them from contamination, tanker owners will be required to obtain official permits.” Whereas licenses were previously granted only for agricultural or residential use, “there is now a license for selling water to others,” according to Hoayek.

Hoayek emphasized that “the ministry is keen to regularize this sector by requiring legal licensing, conducting periodic testing, and submitting results to specialized water institutions to enable monitoring of water quality before and after licensing”. Regarding illegal wells, she clarified that “addressing them requires political cover and coordination among several ministries, particularly the Ministry of Interior and security security forces, as the Ministry of Energy and Water alone does not have the capacity to detect them.”