Specialists call for protecting citizens from the dangers of the sewage pools in the North

Gaza, Publication and Information Unit:
Specialists and officials called for finding ways to protect the citizens living near the sewage pools in the North Gaza governorate and for seeking to increase coordination and communication between the municipalities and to shoulder the legal and social responsibility for protecting the public.

These calls came during the round table meeting held by the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution entitled "Ways of protecting citizens from the sewage pools in the North governorate", attended by specialists representing the municipalities of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility and the ministries of water and local government, with the participation of representatives of the North police.

At the start of the meeting, the director of the Conflict Resolution Center's Gaza branch, Iyad Abu Hjair, pointed out that everyone today bears responsibility for providing citizens with protection from the sewage pools and for working to fence the area completely. He added: "We have lost a number of citizens, the latest being the child Ahmed Al-Zan, who drowned a month ago, and today we must find a lasting and definitive solution to prevent more victims falling."

For his part, the representative of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, Eng. Farid Ashour, explained that the utility does not have sufficient financial resources to increase repair work and that its current projects are funded by the World Bank and some donors. He stressed that the municipalities must cooperate and share responsibility for the water pools in order to take the measures needed to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.

For his part, the representative of the treatment plant at the water pools in the North governorate, Eng. Rajab Al-Araj, explained that the real problem lies in the encroachment by residents in that area and their damage to the plant's property by cutting the barbed wire that protects the site. He pointed out that the number of guards is small and lacks executive authority and the force needed to provide protection for the pools and for citizens alike, in addition to the need to build a strong fence and to address the problem of the rubbish dump beside the water pools.

Among the main recommendations the participants called for carrying out in the coming period were for the police to open a line of communication with the local public in times of crisis, as well as working to detain citizens in breach, including children, until their guardian takes responsibility after their child repeatedly enters the pools, and paying fines to the municipality, in addition to calling for activating the law against encroaching on public property, activating the health and environment committees at the municipalities and increasing educational guidance on voluntary work to protect citizens from entering the pools.