Impact of Wastewater From Arael and Burkan Colonies in Salfite Governorts/Geogrspic Study

Ahmed Ghodieh's picture
Type: 
Thesis
Year: 
2011
Students: 
Nihaya Rafeeq Yousef Abdel Fattah
Abstract: 

This study aimed at identifying the environmental impact of waste water of the colonies of Ariel and Burkan in Salfit district, and demonstrate the impact of waste water on surface water and ground water and soil, and to expain the role of waste water in spreading parasitic and cancer diseases, and viewing special information of the negative effects of the colonies' factories that have been observed from the study, and comparing it with the statistics of international and Palestinian data which was distributed by the Ministry of Health and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). To achieve the study aims, samples of waste water, fresh water, and soil had been taken from the study area, and had been examined in specialized laboratories at An-Najah National University. The study findings of examined waste water showed that most of the minerals in the study samples were higher of World Health Organization (WHO) and Palestinian specifications, and this guides that waste water in the areas of Ariel and Burkan colonies is very contaminated by the Israeli industrial waste water, which is considered as negative side effects on population's health, plants, and animals in the study area. The results of inspected samples of fresh water from the springs of Alfawwar and Almatwi showed that most minerals were higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) and Palestinian specifications, and the results indicated the change of increase percentage of the elements is as followes: (Ammonia 99.7%, Bicrbones 13.4%, Nitrates 73.4%, Sodium 44%, Potassium 66.7%, Chromium 98.3%, iron 98.8%, and Carbon dioxide 20%). The results of soil samples inspection from the study area (Arael and Burkan colonies) showed that the examined samples results of elements in agricultural soils which had been polluted by the two colonies were higher than the quantities of WHO and Palestinian standards, and this indicates that the soil is polluted with a very large Israeli industrial waste quantities in the study area, and the change of decrease percentage of soil sample of the cyanide element percentage from western part of Salfit district was 99.5%. Results of the study concerning the Palestinian workers in Arael and Burkan colonies' industrial zones with its percentages were as followes: Most of the workers were males (87.6%), most of them working at Burkan colony with 69.2%, and 79.2% of them from nearby Palestinian villages, and 86% of them from pre-university stages, and 97.6% of them have work permission, and the Israeli labor law is not applicable on 59.6% of them, and 41.6% of them were injured during work, and 61.6% of them announced that there are dangerous materials at factories, and 55.2% of them were forced to work in industrial zones of colonies, because there is no alternative in the West Bank. The most important recommendations of the study were: Removing all Israeli colonies from Palestinian territories, because its illegal, and causes environmental damages for Palestinian environment, the need to improve the sewege system in Salfit governorate before this problem becomes an environmental disaster, imposing control laws to reduce pollution from colonies factories, spread health awareness among citizens through visual, readable and audio media, take strict measures to prevent all forms of drinking pollutioned water, and coordinate with international organizations to force Israel not to cast sewage water from Israeli colonies towards Palestinian valleys and lands.

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