Jericho Municipality Warns of Imminent Environmental Crisis and Calls for Alternative Dump Site and Waste Treatment Plant

Jericho – Afaq News - The Jericho Municipality has warned of the worsening waste crisis in the city, amid the continuous increase in the quantities of waste being sent to the current landfill, confirming that temporary solutions are no longer sufficient, and that the city needs an alternative site or a specialized station for waste treatment and sorting.

The head of the Jericho Municipality, Major General Salem Ghruf, told Ma'an that the current landfill is facing significant challenges due to limited space and the rising quantities of waste, noting that the municipality collects an average of about 80 tons of waste daily, while the amount rises during Friday and Saturday to between 100 and 120 tons daily.

He explained that the problem lies not in the collection and transportation of waste but rather in the disposal location and treatment method, pointing out that the current landfill has witnessed repeated attempts over the past years to extend its lifespan through organization and filling works, but these measures no longer represent a long-term solution.

He indicated that the landfill is located within a limited area surrounded on several sides by palm farms, roads, and other areas, making horizontal expansion difficult, while the significant height of the landfill poses risks to machinery and workers and increases the difficulty of controlling fires.

According to the head of the Jericho Municipality, the landfill sometimes experiences ignitions and fires that can last for long periods, which raises environmental and health concerns, especially given the proximity of thousands of palm trees and farms to the landfill site.

He indicated that the search for an alternative site faces challenges related to land ownership and control, explaining that several of the sites that have been explored are located in areas under Israeli control, which requires Israeli approvals to establish a landfill or waste treatment facility.

He confirmed that the municipality has sought, through official channels and civil coordination, to find an alternative site in Area "C", but these efforts have not yet resulted in a practical solution, noting that the waste issue has become intertwined with political factors and procedures related to land control.

In contrast, the mayor of Jericho proposed the option of establishing a waste treatment and sorting station instead of relying on a traditional landfill, so that part of the waste can be sorted and recycled while the remaining part is treated, which would alleviate the pressure on the current landfill and reduce its environmental impacts.

He explained that the municipality is currently working on sorting some types of waste, such as plastic and cardboard, and recycling them, and is also collaborating with French partners to prepare a study related to developing waste sorting and recycling operations and benefiting from them in the future.

He pointed out that Jericho is facing an increase in waste production due to urban, tourism, and industrial expansion, in addition to the movement of travelers through the crossings and tourist facilities and the industrial area, which raises the pressure on the municipality's capabilities and the infrastructure designated for waste management.

He also pointed to the waste generated by the date palm sector, particularly palm waste and date remnants, emphasizing the potential for economic and environmental benefits through processing and converting them into usable materials, such as organic fertilizer or compost.

He confirmed that finding a suitable land that can be invested in as an environmental processing and sorting station would allow for a reduction in the amounts of waste reaching the landfill, and help preserve part of the current landfill for a longer period, instead of continuing to bury the entire daily quantities.

For his part, Ibrahim Dweik, the head of the Date Palm Council in Palestine, warned of the potential impacts of the landfill on the surrounding date palm farms, noting that previous fires have caused damage to the trees, and that the continuation of the problem could threaten an important economic sector in Jericho.

He called for the intervention of official bodies and concerned and supportive institutions, whether to rehabilitate the current landfill if possible or to provide an alternative site according to suitable environmental standards, emphasizing the importance of protecting the date palm sector, which provides thousands of job opportunities and is one of the products that Jericho is famous for.

The data mentioned in the interview indicates that the landfill, which started as a random site in the 1990s before being organized and developed later, is no longer able to accommodate the continuous increase in waste quantities, which puts the concerned parties in front of the necessity to find a long-term solution for waste management in Jericho.