A meeting took place at Hebron Municipality on the 20th of March with a view to improving environmental conditions through treating wash water, a by-product generated by stone and marble production processes. The meeting was attended by Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily, David Harden, Senior Advisor to the American Special Envoy to the Middle East, Bassam Irfai, Director of the Water Resources and Infrastructure Office for the USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission, Nour el Dine Jradat, President of the Union of Stone and Marble Industry, marble and stone factory owners from Hebron Governorate, Tawfiq Arafa, City Engineer and Marwan al Akhdar, Head of the Municipal Sanitation Section.

Osaily spoke about the huge problem caused by wash water. “Solutions must be found to limit damage and losses caused by wash water which is discharged into the public wastewater network, clogging it and harming citizens and properties. Discharging wash water into the wastewater network provides Israel with the excuse to impose fines against Palestinians amounting to millions of Shekels which are then deducted from Palestinian tax money held by Israel. This in turn leads to the depletion of Palestinian financial resources and the deterioration of living conditions in the oPt. We need to put an end to these financial losses and to this unsatisfactory situation. Hebron Municipality made great efforts in this field by creating a central unit in the Industrial Zone in charge of receiving and treating wash water which it then returns to stone and marble factories so they can reuse it. This safeguards the environment and limits problems caused by the clogging and the wearing away of wastewater networks”, he said.

Mr. Jradat said that his Union has repeatedly urged stone and marble factory owners to abide by the law and not discharge their wash water into wastewater networks as well as to shoulder their environmental responsibilities and actively help Hebron Municipality safeguard the environment. “Our Union has shouldered its responsibilities in this field and has sent letters to all factories to respect the law and cooperate with us for the public good”, he added.

Lafi Geith, who owns a stone and marble factory, called upon USAID to support Palestinians and provide assistance as well as technical and financial support to the stone and marble sector which is the cornerstone of the local economy. “Difficult economic conditions in the oPt have had an impact on this sector”, he added. He called upon USAID representatives to urge the US government to provide political and economic support to Palestinians and to their leadership.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Harden regretted conditions witnessed by Palestinians. “I know exactly what is happening on the ground because I observe the situation in the Palestinian Territory on a daily basis. We are endeavoring to improve living conditions and to provide support to Palestinians to help them improve their reality and ensure real and tangible economic development. We also follow-up on several key issues such as the environmental problem we are discussing today. We wish to support cooperation between Hebron Municipality and the Union of Stone and Marble Industry in order to reach a suitable and satisfactory solution for everyone and to ensure a safe pollution-free environment”, he added.