Violation: An environmental disaster affects the municipality and town of Silwad.
Date of Violation: December 2024.
Perpetrating Party: Israeli occupation forces.
Affected Party: Residents of Silwad town.
Location: Silwad town, north of Ramallah city.

Description:

The town of Silwad is suffering from an accumulation of household and commercial waste due to the occupation's closure of the town's only landfill five months ago. The landfill, located in the "Kafr 'Ana" area west of the town, has been inaccessible, forcing the municipality to occasionally transport waste to other locations in neighboring villages at significant financial cost.

The closed landfill, which belongs to Silwad, is situated in the "Kafr 'Ana" area beyond the Yabroud village bridge, within Silwad's lands classified as "Area B" under the Oslo Accords. The landfill spans approximately seven dunams and is owned by the Silwad Municipality. It is located just 200 meters from the bypass road known as Route 60. Established about 13 years ago, the landfill is situated in a flat area above the Wadi of Dura Al-Qare’ and Ein Yabroud villages. Waste was disposed of there by burial rather than burning to avoid environmental harm. The waste consisted solely of household refuse generated by Silwad residents.

Silwad produces approximately 36 tons of waste daily, with a population of about 10,000 residents. The town includes residential areas, commercial establishments, stone-cutting industries, and other facilities such as the Silwadi Food Supplies Company, bakeries, and butcher shops, all contributing to the increased volume of waste generated.

Regarding the details of what is happening in the town, the head of Silwad Municipality, Mr. Raed Nimer Hamed, stated to the LRC researcher:

"About five months ago, the occupation forces confiscated the only garbage truck belonging to the town of Silwad while it was at the landfill, claiming that dumping waste in that area is prohibited. The occupation authorities did not provide any documentation to the municipality. The truck was detained for 60 days, and we were fined 5,700 shekels for the detention period. The occupation also threatened to arrest anyone found at the landfill and to confiscate any vehicles present there.

During the confiscation of the municipality’s truck, I immediately went to the site. The soldiers stationed there informed me that since there are plots of land surrounding the landfill classified as 'Area C' under the Oslo Accords, the entire landfill is also considered 'Area C.' At that point, we promptly contacted the Palestinian Civil Affairs Office, submitted the truck’s documents and the landfill’s coordinates, and reached out to several lawyers. After a long and arduous process, we managed to recover the municipality’s garbage truck by paying the fine imposed by the Israeli occupation. However, we were forced to sign a pledge not to enter or use the landfill under any circumstances."

He added:

"While the truck was impounded, we brought in the shared services truck for the villages of Ramallah at a cost of 1,000 shekels per day, along with a bulldozer once a week at a cost of 2,000 shekels to push the waste into the landfill in the nearby village of Ramon. After recovering our truck, we relied on it to transport waste to the Ramon village landfill for two months. However, we had to stop because the landfill there could not handle the volume.

Currently, we are transporting waste to the landfill in the town of Deir Dibwan, but this is costly and exhausting for us. Soon, we will be forced to stop using the Deir Dibwan landfill as well, and we do not know what we will do. If waste starts to accumulate in the streets, it will lead to an environmental and health disaster, with the spread of foul odors, rodents, and the fear of disease outbreaks."

مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV - FCDO

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين