Gaza Project (I) 2001-2005

Monitoring of Groundwater and Soil Pollution Levels in the Gaza Strip

The issue of environmental protection is one of the top priorities to governments and individuals of all countries. The problems of environmental pollution are of global concern due to drastic effects they have on human health, on air, water and soil and on ecological systems.

The multi-faceted nature of the environmental issues in the Gaza Strip, Palestine requires an interdisciplinary, integrated approach to management strategies. The top priority has been and will remain the human health risks and hazards due to the deterioration of the water, air, and soil. Environmental deterioration is not a new problem. It is rather an accumulation of natural, political, economic, and social conditions. These conditions add a layer of complexity to ameliorating the environmental problems. Although this report mainly focuses on the scientific side, the researchers recognize that addressing political, economic, and social factors is essential for any proposed solution to the deteriorated environment.

While this project focuses on Gaza, some of the research extended to areas beyond Gaza. Environmental problem generally extend beyond small geographic areas and do not respect political boundaries. Thus, it is important to understand the regional environmental situation so as to establish regional cooperative efforts that are based on scientific awareness.

Although the situation in the project area was very difficult during the whole period of the project, the integrated approach and the hand in hand mandates were the most effective tools for the project to show its important outcomes.

Gaza Project is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Scientific Research. Through this project, we collected and tested the required samples and consulted with the local experts. This project has combined two branches of science that are rarely combined dissertation projects; the organic and the inorganic geochemistry. For this reason, knowledge not only in organic and inorganic geochemistry but also in many other relevant subjects was necessary. Examples of these subjects include, but not limited to, water quality, water quality management, soil science and geology, microorganisms and biology, and statistics and its applications. Moreover, it was also important to follow some of available literature, specialized lectures, local and international conferences, and weekly meetings at the institute where this project was conducted.

Each section in this project reflects a focused scientific approach that essentially allows it to stand by itself as independent project.

The topics of the project contain some repetitions especially in describing sampling methods and the project area (Gaza Strip). These repetitions result because each topic constitutes an article that has been published or is in the process of being published in a specialized international scientific journal. All these topics are put together to form one complete project.

The sequencing of the topics is not based on chronological order, but on the priorities of the national Palestinian environmental strategy. Hence, water and public health come first followed by wastewater, solid waste, land use, agricultural practices and their impacts. The first topic focuses on the geochemistry of groundwater while the second studies examples of pollutants and their impacts on the public health. The third and fourth topics tackle wastewater issues, including reuse potential, and the impact on soil and groundwater. Wadi Gaza, which is a hub for wastewater and solid waste disposal, is the fifth topic. The sixth topic looks at geochemical properties of the soil in Gaza, while the final two topics focus on the effect of agricultural practices on the soil, including pesticide concentrations and transport in soil and groundwater.

To make sure that the important findings of the project are available in the hands of all Palestinian people; decision makers, stakeholders, relevant institutes and research centers, and public, the major conclusions and recommendations are formulated and addressed in Arabic language.

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