The Environmental Status of the Lebanese Coast 2026 — Annual Report is an annual environmental and scientific report issued by the National Center for Marine Sciences at the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon. It assesses the bacteriological quality of seawater along the Lebanese coast and provides updated beach classifications for safe swimming, based on regular monitoring between June 2024 and June 2026. The report also includes a section on jellyfish blooms and their increasing presence along Lebanon’s coast.
Key insights:
Most monitored beaches are safe for swimming, but pollution remains a serious issue.
The report found that 25 out of 37 coastal sites, or 68%, are suitable for swimming, while 12 sites showed bacterial pollution levels that make them risky or unsafe.
Seven beaches are clearly unsafe for swimming.
The most polluted sites include Tripoli public beach, Jounieh public beach, Dbayeh, Antelias near the river mouth, Beirut Manara, Ramlet el-Baida, and Jiyeh. These sites recorded bacterial levels above acceptable limits.
Pollution is strongly linked to sewage, river mouths, ports, and urban pressure.
The report shows that many unsafe beaches are located near wastewater discharge points, polluted rivers, ports, or dense coastal urban areas, meaning beach pollution often starts inland, not only at the shore.
Some beaches improved, while others became worse compared with 2025.
Positive improvements were recorded in Akkar–Qleiat, Beirut/Ain el-Mreisseh, and Ghazieh, which moved from cautionary to good status. However, Damour, Jiyeh, and Tyre restaurant beach declined in quality.
Jellyfish appeared earlier and more intensely in 2026.
The report notes that jellyfish usually increase in July and August, but this year they appeared heavily starting in early June. This is linked to warmer seawater, climate change, pollution, currents, and overfishing.
