landfill in rural Hama threatens agricultural lands, raises health, environmental concerns.

The landfill located on property number 3206 in the Masyaf countryside of Hama Governorate continues to draw complaints from farmers and residents. The land, legally classified as "fifth-class agricultural land private property," has been transformed into a waste collection site, amidst that residents describe as a lack of oversight and worsening environmental and health consequences.

According to ANHA's correspondents in Masyaf, farmers Wissam al-Khazouri and Nassim Homsi stated that the landfill has been imposed on the area for years, causing damage to approximately 50 dunams of adjacent agricultural land, in addition to frequent fires that have spread to large forested areas. The farmers emphasized that the continued operation of the landfill threatens the livelihoods of dozens of families who depend on agriculture, given the lack of serious measures to address the damage or compensate those affected over the past years.

The landfill's repercussions are not limited to agricultural and forested lands. Residents of villages, including Rabou, complain of the almost constant fumes and smoke resulting from the burning of waste, particularly nylon, especially at night.

The residents say the smoke exacerbates the suffering of asthma patients and poses a risk to the health of children who are frequently exposed to these pollutants. They ask, "How long will these landfills continue to burn day and night?" and demand that the relevant authorities intervene, stop what they describe as negligence, and hold those responsible accountable. The waste problem in the Masyaf region dates back years. The head of the Masyaf City Council, Sami Basal, previously told the media that the landfill was receiving more than 200 tons of waste daily from the city of Masyaf and 12 administrative units within the region. He also noted the presence of medical waste being dumped in the open, warning of its dangers to the environment and surrounding areas, particularly the village of Rabou and its farms.

In previous statements, Basal warned that burning waste leads to air, groundwater, surface water, and soil pollution, resulting in health and environmental risks for residents and farmers. This year, the region has witnessed fires linked to landfills. Civil Defense teams and the Forestry Department in Masyaf extinguished a fire that broke out at a landfill in Swedia area before it could spread to adjacent agricultural lands. The Hama Agriculture Directorate warned of the dangers of unregulated dumpsites located in forested areas, emphasizing that they pose a threat to forests and agricultural lands. The Directorate called for the closure of these dumpsites and the implementation of stricter measures to mitigate their risks.

Under pressure from farmers' protests and mounting complaints, the technical office of the Masyaf City Council revealed a proposal to relocate the dumpsite from its current location to an abandoned quarry on the Al-Batoum road, approximately 10 kilometers south of the city, on state-owned land.

The proposal raises questions about the suitability of the new site from both an environmental and health perspective, particularly given the need for an environmental impact assessment before its approval and the establishment of a clear mechanism for waste treatment and safe disposal.

Residents and farmers believe that simply relocating the dumpsite is not a radical solution to the problem. They argue that moving the waste to a new site without implementing strategies for sorting, recycling, composting, and safe treatment could lead to a recurrence of the problem and the spread of pollution to another area. The residents' demands today include closing the current landfill and finding a safe and healthy alternative, addressing the damage to agricultural and forest lands, reducing fires and smoke emissions, and involving farmers and residents in any decision regarding the location of the new landfill.

The residents also demand a comprehensive waste management plan that includes collection, sorting, treatment, recycling, and safe disposal, with special attention to medical waste, to prevent agricultural and forest lands from becoming open dumps.

ANHA