Now Lebanon - Think before you swim - May 15, 2011

Summer is near, and for any country along the Mediterranean, that means time to hit the beach. But with Lebanon’s track record in maritime pollution, it might be wise to think twice before taking a dip off our coast.

Despite being one of the smallest countries in the Mediterranean, the cost resulting from Lebanon’s coastal degradation – $110 million a year – is the highest in the region, according to World Bank figures from 2004.

Though in 1976, Lebanon, alongside 15 other neighboring countries, signed the international Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, the country has failed to implement it in full, according to environmental activists.

With that in mind, NOW Lebanon brings you a slideshow of the most significant threats to the Lebanese coast.