Panel discussion on the preparations of Gaza’s municipalities for Ramadan
March 29th 2022
The municipalities of the Gaza Strip have taken a series of measures and preparations to receive the blessed month of Ramadan, which included decorating the streets, arranging and organizing markets to receive the largest number of the public, apart from organizing and operating simplifications, and constantly monitoring food and goods.
The actions taken by the municipalities were outlined during an episode organized by the GO network, within the project of a digital interactive youth community for better LUGS’ services, bringing together the municipalities of Gaza, Khan Younis and Jabalia to talk about their preparations for the holy month.
The seminar was attended by Engineer Nasser Al-Najjar, Director of the Public Health and Environment Department of the Municipality of Jabalia, Hussni Mohanna, spokesman for the Municipality of Gaza, and Saeb Lagan, Head of the Information Department of the Municipality
The Go Network team collated the views of citizens, shopkeepers and traders, in Jabalia Market and Zawiya Market, where it said after participants that “the municipality is constantly doing its work in the market, in terms of cleaning and arranging it, where it has deployed teams to monitor simplifications and market regulation teams.”
Others explained that “the municipal police continues to operate, setting up barricades to prevent incidents in the Jabalia market, and also expanding the markets so that there is no congestion”.
Some felt that “the municipality is doing what it can”, while another said that “in the Zawiya market, the municipality deployed the police for 24 hours, organized the work of crowded vehicles in the markets and expanded the entrances to the market”.
On citizens’ demands, some traders called for an “increase in the presence of the municipality in the evening”, while many participants stressed that with the step of regulating markets, it made it easier for citizens and vendors at the same time.
During the episode, Engineer Nasser El-Najjar said that the municipality of Jabalia was increasing the number of cleaners to collect solid waste, where collection was after Maghreb prayer, increasing market monitors on food, and increasing market regulators.
He noted that “the post-Maghrib prayer period has been added to the waste collection system, due to the importance of this period in the markets, noting that there is a process of sanitizing and washing markets, twice during the month of Ramadan.
On the work of street carts, he said that “two markets were made, one for clothes and items and another for fruits, vegetables and food, where the owners of random street carts were removed from the market for vegetables and food,” noting that “street carts and vendors are organized from outside the city first, so that there is no defect or congestion.”
In turn, Saeb Laqan said that the municipality of Khan Younis, with the increase in the amount of solid waste in the holy month, is implementing the hygiene and initial collection plan with a morning and evening shift system, noting that there is some work on Ramadan decoration, as the month is related to decoration and lighting.
In this context, according to Laqan, the municipality carried out the largest project in Khan Younis to illuminate the main roads, junctions and places near the mosques, with most of the main streets in Khan Younis becoming fully illuminated, especially those experiencing significant congestion.
“The field control team is deployed during the days of Ramadan to monitor and organize and ensure the streamlining of movement in the streets,” he said, adding that “the city center is a kiss for all residents of the governorate, so we are working to organize things during Ramadan, with some measures.”
In Gaza, Husni Mohanna said that the municipality had developed a plan that targeting a range of different areas, including the promotion of hygiene, the collection and removal of solid waste from the city, and various procedures for the control of factories and food shops.
Mohanna noted that the municipality is developing a plan to organize markets and city streets, especially areas experiencing traffic congestion, in addition to opening public parks and parks for citizens for breakfast and hiking.
The episode ended with a set of recommendations, including organizing the process of taking waste out to the streets, so that cleaners can facilitate work, and recommending that citizens follow COVID-19 preventive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, with large crowding on the streets.
Participants also recommended that cooperation with field control officers and municipal observers should be increased, as well as procedures for the regulation of markets and streets, especially by simplifiers and shopkeepers.