45. Institute of Community and Public Health-Birzeit U. & Dept. of Environmental Health-Ministry of Health, Palestine. Industrialization, Urbanization and Environmental Health: The Case of Industrial Zoning, Water Use and Wastewater Disposal in the District of Ramallah and al-Bireh. 1998, 45 pp.

In Arabic and English.

As Palestinian cities go through the urbanization process, a host of environmental problems arise. This paper focuses on the industries in the Ramallah and al-Bireh urban center with specific details given to zoning and wastewater. The paper is concerned with four broad categories of zones: industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential. The paper previews the industrial wastewater status in the Ramallah and al-Bireh district and notes that implementing sustainable development principles can help in protecting the environment. In 1994, the Department of Environmental Health within the Palestinian ministry of health took the initiative to survey 111 factories operating in the Ramallah and al-Bireh district. The survey gathered a wide array of data on each facility, but only information pertaining to water use and wastewater generation and treatment were used for the purpose of this paper. Results of the survey indicate that 59 out of the 111 factories are located in the two urban areas of the district, while the remaining 52 factories are located in semi-urban and rural communities. The paper summarizes the distribution of factories by zones and explains how zoning does not apply in rural and semi-urban or urban areas. A growing trend is for privately owned agricultural land to be used for industrial purposes in spite of the fact that lands surrounding it are still used for agricultural purposes. The paper also summarizes the distribution of factories, consumption of water as well as disposal of dangerous materials in wastewater by type of industry. The paper concludes with recommendations calling for a system to regulate industries including stricter zoning that allows for a buffer between residential and industrial areas.