Waste in Central Gaza brings misery, hazards to residents

GAZA: A landfill in a public area in Central Gaza has become part of the grim reality for many Palestinians who are residing nearby.

With the conflict between Israel and Hamas now in its seventh month, domestic waste has been piling up, attracting flies and producing foul smells - making the living conditions for residents of the area even more difficult.

Abou Mohammed, a Palestinian, who lives around 100-150 meters away from the landfill, says he is worried about the health of his children.

“This waste here has brought diseases. Our children are suffering from various ailments that we have never seen before,” said Abou Mohammed. Youssef Hammad, a municipality worker, explained that the area was not originally designated for waste disposal but the conflict has given them little choice but to dump the waste there. “The municipality was compelled to urgently dispose of waste in this location due to the inability of municipal crews to access the official dumping grounds…. With the onset of the war, we were unable to reach these locations due to the lack of mechanisms of movement (access) caused by road blockages,” said Hammad.

Hammad also warned of the environmental hazard associated with such landfills. “These include stray dogs, the proliferation of insects, as well as environmental pollution and the degradation of the surrounding environment in this area,” he said.

Abu Mazen Khatab, a displaced man living near the waste dump with his family including six-month-old-daughter, says he worries sewage water will soon seep into his tent. “If we don’t die from the missiles; we will die from the sewage and the bad smells here and the waste.”