Awali (river)

The Awali (نهر الأولي / ALA-LC: Nahr al-Awalī, ancient Bostrenus / Bostrenos) is a perennial river flowing in Southern Lebanon. In ancient times it was known as Asclepius River. The 48 km long Awali originates from the Barouk mountain at a height of 1492 m and the Niha mountain.

The Awali is supplemented by two tributaries, the Barouk and Aaray rivers. The Awali is also known as the Bisri river in its upper section; it flows through the western face of Mount Lebanon and into the Mediterranean. The Awali river has a discharge of 10.1625 m3/s, it forms a watershed that has an area of about 294 km2. The river flows into Joun Lake, which is part of the Bisri Dam project to improve the supply of fresh water to the region. A large portion of the Bisri Dam project funding, from the World Bank, was cancelled by the World Bank in September 2020.