The data below comes from the preliminary report on Lebanon’s early recovery process presented at the August 31 Stockholm Donor Conference. The report covers certain priority areas, not all of Lebanon’s early recovery funding needs. Those will be presented at a later-date international conference.

The donor conference raised $1.2 billion of the $3.6 billion initial estimate of damage costs.

The human stain: The hostilities claimed over 1100 civilian lives, left more than 4000 people wounded, and displaced more than a million people from the south of the country, the Beqaa and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

About one third of civilian fatalities were children. A significant number of women were also injured. The psychological distress in children is particularly acute, and needs to be addressed with cross-sectoral programmes. Though no children have been reported separated from their families, potential negative effects such as increased domestic violence, child labour and possible institutionalisation need to be promptly monitored and addressed. Children require specific protection found in programmes encouraging their active involvement, participation and empowerment. Women are also particularly vulnerable to increased violence and negligence of their specific health needs.

About 15 per cent of people wounded during the war will be disabled for life, and the number of female-headed households will definitely increase. Traditionally, family remittances and other such communal support compensated for weak formal safety net programmes, but the war and the continued embargo have substantially decreased the transfer of money to the country and deprived many families of their only source of income.

About 500 000 of the internally displaced persons have returned to their areas of residence since the cessation of hostilities, and an additional 150 000 have returned from outside the country. Some 60-70 per cent of the 150 000 have returned to their villages of origin, particularly in the areas of Tyre, Marjeyoun, Nabatiye and Bint Jbeil. They reside in the midst of partially destroyed homes.

The war has led to the total or partial destruction of about 30 000 houses, many of which are located in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa valley. The majority are in the district of Bint Jbeil, which witnessed the heaviest bombing. About 200 buildings were completely destroyed in Beirut’s southern suburbs and an additional 100 were rendered uninhabitable. The total destruction of entire towns such as Bint Jbeil and Khiyam in the south, and of large neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs, has resulted in the displacement of some additional 250 000 individuals, most of whom live with relatives and host families, often in cramped conditions and with considerable strain on limited financial and other resources.

Even though damage is unevenly spread across the southern villages, most of the returnees face restricted access to water supply systems, social services, education, basic healthcare and other essentials. Social service delivery was eroded because many welfare and development institutions and NGOs were completely destroyed during the war. Among them were five social development centers of the Social Affairs ministry, with another five buildings of the ministry partially damaged.

The dangers: Returnees face exposure to unexploded ordnances (UXOs), which have already caused the death and injury of 25 individuals and have rendered entire farmlands inaccessible. To date, over 300 individual strikes of cluster munitions have been located. Since the cessation of hostilities, over 50 civilians died due to UXOs explosions, and more than 4000 pieces of unexploded ordnance have been destroyed.

Most contaminated are the mohafazas (administrative regions) of South Lebanon and Nabatiye, followed by the Beqaa, Mount Lebanon and Beirut.

The presence of UXOs hinders and endangers many early recovery efforts. The movement of returnees, the re-establishment of essential services, shelter assistance and income generation are all adversely affected by the presence of UXOs. Every location that has seen conflict may have UXOs present.

At the moment, the areas are being surveyed and cleared and a mine risk education campaign is under way to ensure that risk to life and limb is minimised.

Damages to the health infrastructure: Most damaged are the primary healthcare-level and key hospitals, which has affected a wide spectrum of the population. Initial damage assessment on five governmental hospitals in South Lebanon and the Beqaa valley were put at 34 million dollars. The assessment does not include damages to other health facilities in the region.

Damages to schools: Some 40-50 schools, 16 of them public, were totally destroyed, and about 300 were damaged. This assessment does not include schools in villages still occupied by Israeli forces.

Environmental damages are clearly large. The bombing of the Jiyeh power plant in south Lebanon has resulted in the spilling of 10 000-15 000 tons of heavy oil (IFO150) into the sea. The spill is travelling north because of wind patterns and water currents. Besides major repercussions on water quality and biodiversity, the pollution has heavily affected the tourism and fishing sectors, thus impacting the entire economy. It is, therefore, imperative to clean the oil spill through the plan developed by the Environment ministry in co-ordination with the international community. Oil waste transportation, storage and disposal, and detailed environmental monitoring should also be undertaken.

Construction and Environment: The widespread destruction of residential and industrial buildings, roads and bridges has created massive piles of waste, which need to be quantified, collected, segregated, recycled and disposed of. The quality of fresh surface and ground water might also have been impacted by weapon-related contaminants, along with potential impacts caused by the oil spill, which requires both preventive and remedial measures. An increase in water demand is likely to occur in some areas (along with the associated impact on water quality and wastewater management). Sea water has been heavily affected by the oil spill. In addition, soil quality might have been impacted by weapon-related contaminants in some areas. In terms of biodiversity, bombs and resulting fires have caused damage to forests and green areas, including protected areas. Hostilities, including but not limited to the oil spill, have impacted terrestrial and marine biodiversity.

Beside the aforementioned demolition waste, the war has caused a slowdown of solid

waste collection and thus further led to the piling up of waste. Hostilities have also led to the proliferation of hazardous wastes from industrial and healthcare facilities and damaged facilities. Also important to note are the indirect effects on the environment such as increased fuel burning, dust generated by blasts and solid waste decomposition, which all have a negative impact on air quality.

Unemployment: Preliminary estimates indicate a rise in unemployment levels from eight to 10 per cent to 25 per cent. About 11 per cent (more than 122 000) of people employed in the informal sector and engaged in seasonal and temporary jobs have been out of jobs since the beginning of the war.

Industrial and agricultural production: Over 700 industrial enterprises have suffered extensive damage. At least 31 factories in South Lebanon, the Beqaa, and Beirut suburbs have been completely or partially destroyed. Damage to the agricultural sector is just as significant and ranges from loss of buildings, agricultural infrastructure, equipment and machinery, to ruined harvests, inability to keep export commitments and drastic increases in unemployment.

In the South Lebanon and Nabatiye mohafazas, where live some 30 per cent of the country’s agricultural holders, no one was spared the effects of war. In the Beqaa valley, about 60 per cent of farmers were affected to varying degrees, and in the mohafazas of North and Mount Lebanon – about 25 per cent.

Fires have devastated thousands of hectares of orchards and potato plantations, burnt several hundreds of hectares of greenhouses (for vegetable and flower production), killed and injured thousands of livestock and poultry and honey beehives, and damaged agricultural infrastructure such as agricultural roads, nurseries, machineries, refrigerators, buildings and farms and agro-processing factories.

The war took place at the peak time of fruit harvest. As a result, the 2006 citrus fruits harvest has been lost due to lack of irrigation during blossom time. Apple, olive and banana trees need immediate irrigation to save the harvest.

It is estimated that about 60-70 per cent of tobacco production, on which the southern regions of Lebanon are highly dependent, has been disrupted by the bombardments. The war took place during the tobacco harvest. Half of the crop was already harvested and stored at homes of farmers, but then fully or partially damaged. The other half was left un-harvested after farmers fled their lands.