By Emma Chiu
Continuously plagued by Israel’s economic blockade, Gaza’s dense population is currently facing a wide range of social, economic as well as political issues. With a population of approximately 70,000 people, the creation of more than 1300 tons of waste every day has become a serious challenge to local authorities in the Gaza Strip. In response to the waste problem, the international community has tried to take action to no avail, mostly due to the ongoing conflict between the governing power in Gaza — Hamas — and the Israeli government. Even though the United Nations — along with other institutions — has launched a project to construct a recycling facility in Gaza with Israel’s approval, waste still remains to be a salient issue in the region. Sewage disposal and unregulated dumpsites continue to threaten the overall health of the civilian population in Gaza.
Along with the unregulated waste generated by lack of infrastructure and a dense population, Gazans are also confronted with the challenge of managing bomb wreckage — 2.5 million tons of solid waste consisting mostly of building debris bombed by Israeli jets. Due to the lack of mobility, job opportunities, and financial assistance, Gazans face an endless amount of problems in their efforts to rebuild.
A practice that has arisen out of necessity was to extract and reuse material from rubble in order to repair roads and homes. However, the consequent debris has been proven to be highly toxic; even the municipal water wells have been contaminated. High levels of strontium and chromium have been found in the groundwater sources as well as the soil, which have cancerous properties and can cause bone disorders and DNA damage. Despite these harmful effects on human health, there is little choice left for the civilians lacking income. For them, not only handling debris is one of the only ways to restore broken homes, but it also provides a means for financial gain — which incentivizes workers to contribute their labor at the expense of their health.
Since it is almost impossible to obtain permission to leave Gaza, most of the residents can only make the best out of their current living conditions — which often requires them to put their lives at peril. Some have successfully turned waste into gold, however, without putting their health at risk. Tamer Abo Motlaq, Usama Qudaih, and Khaled Abo Motlaq — all Gazan civil engineering graduates — founded the Olive Jift project, which turns byproducts of Olive oil pressing into fuel pellets for cooking and heating.
Their solution for the energy shortage did not only provide a sustainable product affordable to citizens of Gaza; it additionally, addressed a growing environmental concern that is occurring at the global level. Innovation in Gaza demonstrates the persistence and resilience in Gazan spirit, which still remains strong despite the dire environmental circumstances. The will of the civilians to work with what they are left with illustrates the idiom ‘necessity is the mother of all invention’.
However, the unfortunate reality is that the successful enterprise of recycling olive jift does not translate into other possible sources of recycled material. Although the process of olive oil pressing has successfully created an alternative source of energy, the debris that has been attempted to be recycled creates an additional health risk for civilians in Gaza. Bomb wreckages, as well as building debris that has been chemically contaminated, must be examined and disposed of to minimize collateral damage.
However, due to Israel’s blockade and lack of connection between the Gaza Strip and the rest of the international community, it is clear that permitted interference from third-parties to improve the current living conditions is highly unlikely. With the continuing political conflict and economic blockade, waste management is put at the end of the priority list. However, environmental issues prevalent around the world should not be disregarded in Gaza due to a seemingly bigger political problem. The conversation about the environmental impact on health must start somewhere; perhaps we should start with waste.
