By Muhammad Habash
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Despite the inviting spring-like weather and the chance to enjoy the sunshine, the residents of the village of Girbawi in the southwest of the city of Qamishli northeast Syria, opt to stay indoors rather than sit outside to evade the odor emanating from the waste of a vegetable oil factory established near their village.
Muhammad Youssef, a pseudonym for a 20-year-old young man from Girbawi told North Press that they cannot stay outside, “The smell is unbearable.”
About two years ago, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced the establishment of the “Golden Rose” factory for producing vegetable oil with an estimated production capacity of 300 tons per day.
Although the project interested the residents at the time, as some considered it a pioneer in achieving a kind of self-sufficiency, it caused severe damage to the environment due to the use of primitive methods for disposing of factory’s waste.
Using satellite imaging, geo-location, and other remote sensing techniques, as well as field research and interviews with communities and officials, North Press has documented through six months the negative impacts left by the factory which contaminates air, water and soil.
Affected village
“Bad smell hits the nostrils first before anything is visible; it is terrible, as it bother all the villagers.” Youssef stressed
Youssef’s mother has had asthma for a long time, but it has gotten worse in the past two years, especially during the summer. Youssef believes that pollution from a nearby factory is a major cause, since the factory is only 1.5 kilometers away from the village.
Youssef’s mother avoids sleeping or going out into the yard of her house in the summer, because of the harsh smells emanating from the factory which is only one kilometer and a half away from the village.
“When the winds blow, bad smells spread in our village. If the direction of the wind changes, the smells will go to other nearby villages,” Youssef noted.
“The smell is very bad. Not just for sick people. We avoid wandering and hiking in the village, especially in the summer, because of the intense smells,” the villager further explained.
All villagers indicate what Youssef had said “The smell polluted the air of the village, which is known for its beautiful nature,” residents stressed.
Dangerous waste management
The factory relies on cotton, soybean and sunflower seeds in the production process, so that the first process of production starts with the row materials.
The first stage is sifting, in which the seeds are separated from the cotton and then transferred to the cleaning machine, whose function is to remove the cotton plankton. After that, the seeds are moved to a press, which separates the oil from the seeds with the help of hot steam, extracting residues called meals that are sold as organic fertilizer, while the crude oil is later processed at a refining section.
The refining section is one of the most important sections in the factory, where the oil is treated to make it usable for human consumption through the use of sodium hydroxide to remove gums, acidity, color and plankton, which is similar to the process of washing oil.
The waste, which must be disposed of through scientific methods, is the liquids resulting from the washing process, and consists of soap, highly effective sodium hydroxide, and other toxic substances.
However, those in charge of the laboratory dispose of these liquids in very primitive ways, without any regard for environmental conditions.
The liquids are transported through channels to a hole next to the factory by seizing quantities of them in a ditch in an agricultural land, while additional quantities are transported through tanks to the city of Qamishli, which has a high population density, to be disposed of into the sewage channels.
Ditch primitive
During interviews conducted by North Press with factory supervisors, they claimed that the waste was being processed in batches at the treatment station to prevent large accumulations.
However, North Press noticed a secret area behind the factory where an unlined ditch emitting a nauseating smell and lacking proper insulation from the surrounding soil.
In addition, satellite imagery analysis determined that the ditch spans one kilometer in length, with a width of 10 meters and a depth of four meters with a capacity of 40,000 meters³ of water contaminated with refinery waste.
Shiyar Ali, an environmental engineer strongly criticized the use of unlined channels to store the waste, emphasizing that this practice is entirely unacceptable, particularly considering the large quantities involved.
He warned in an interview with North Press that the soil would become unsuitable for agriculture, while the pollutants would infiltrate groundwater sources, surface wells, and nearby water reserves.
An elderly man from the village preferred not to be named told North Press that shortly after the factory had commenced operations, one of the factory worker brought a tanker filled with waste with the intention of disposing it into the sewage channels claiming that the tanker contained rat poison.
However, the villagers did not permit him to do so, and expelled him from the village, because “if we let him to do so, our land will become unsuitable for farming as years go by,” the man said.
While Tariq, a pseudonym for a former factory employee, who is also a resident of the village, noted that initially, the ditch did not exist. However, after a period of the factory’s operation, the waste seeped into the nearby farmlands, which prompted the factory management to dig the ditch.
Transporting contamination to Qamishli
Locals and factory workers talked about transporting part of the waste via tankers to the city of Qamishli, to be disposed of. North Press obtained footage showing the waste being discharged into a sewage canal at one of al-Hassan facilities in the city of Qamishli.
According to the environmental engineer, disposing of waste in the sewage system is an extremely unfavorable choice.
He further added that “The city’s drainage channels flow into the river, and since the factory waste contains radioactive and carcinogenic substances, it poses a significant risk to humans and animals.”
In this context, North Press attempted to analyze samples of the waste from the factory’s ditch at a laboratory in Qamishli. However, the laboratory equipment was unable to perform the examination due to high levels of contamination in the liquid.
The available device can only test materials containing about 1500 to 3000 phenols, whereas the samples we attempted to examine contained approximately 15,000 phenols, according to the laboratory staff.
The term phenol is used to refer to any compound directly linked to the hydroxyl group. These substances are toxic and corrosive, requiring the utmost care to avoid direct contact and inhalation due to their severe hazards to the skin, respiratory system, and eyes.
The story of the factory
The AANES granted a license to establish the factory to a local company in one of the major grain collection centers in Hasakah governorate, northeast Syria. The company was tasked with converting it into an oil factory at a cost of $6 million, without considering the waste management aspect.
The factory supposed to be invested by the al-Hassan company for five years, owned by businessman Ahmad Rashid, who has multiple projects in the region.
The factory, a formerly grain center, located on the highway road between Qamishli and Hasakah, making it an important hub for farmers, since it is only 12 kilometers away from Qamishli and 23 kilometers away from the town of Amuda. However, converting it into an oil factory has increased transportation costs for farmers in these areas.
Tariq believes that the decision to establish the factory was wrong from the beginning, as it harmed the farmers.
“The project’s managers are not concerned about the environment and are unaware of the risks. They are only interested in profit and nothing else,” he stressed.
For further information, North Press tried to reach out to the owner of the al-Hassan company, but receive no respond.
WVO
The scientific term for the waste reduced by the company is called Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), and improper disposal of it has significant detrimental effects on the environment. It causes serious damage to the soil, leads to the clogging of sewage networks, and affects groundwater and rivers.
Tests conducted by Canada’s Santa Maria University on this substance and its impact on the soil as it causes worms to desert the affected area.
It also inflicts severe damage to seed germination processes, alters the genetic composition of crops, and presents a risk of contaminating surface wells and groundwater.
The study has confirmed that these materials have severe effects on both the environment and human health. Therefore, it is recommended to treat them through complex physical and chemical processes to convert them into biodiesel for beneficial use.
However, the AANES faces challenges due to limited resources and expertise, as well as difficulties in obtaining treatment equipment due to economic sanctions imposed on the country.
According to more than 20 studies we reviewed by North Press, all of them recommend following scientific guidelines in this case to protect the environment. These guidelines can be summarized as follows:
- Properly storing the waste in containers: the safest method of waste disposal is to use containers and securely seal them to prevent any leakage that could harm the environment.
- Creating excavated pits in the ground and lining them with aluminum to prevent the substance from seeping into the soil. Expose the waste to sunlight for a year and treat it using specialized equipment, spraying it over non-arable areas to minimize its environmental impact.
- Digging hole in the ground, ensuring that the materials do not leak, and burying them to prevent children and pets from coming into contact with them due to the various risks involved.
What about drinking water
In the sewage canal maintenance office in Qamishli, the office supervisor, Fener Hassan, takes a pen and paper and begins to draw the network diagram. He confirms that sometimes drinking water mixes with sewage water, but they quickly deal with the problem.
The supervisor reveals that the area in which blockages occur in the sewage network is the same area within the scope of the oil factory whose waste is emptied into the sewage network.
In addition, the sewage networks in Qamishli are connected to collection stations, all of which flow into the Jaghjagh River, the only river in the city, which leads to killing and harming living organisms due to the difficulty of decomposing the waste because it contains highly effective toxic compounds.
Farmers depend on the river’s water to irrigate their crops, which affects the genetic the crops, according to the studies we reviewed.
No serious steps to stop the disaster
According to officials, Local Administration and Environment Board of the AANES grants industrial project licenses based on environmental conditions.
The conditions include ensuring that the facility is located away from populated areas, considering agricultural lands, avoiding proximity to water sources, verifying the non-toxicity of raw materials used in the industry, and ensuring proper waste disposal.
However, when we confronted Berivan Omar, the Deputy co-chair of the Board, with our findings about the factory, she asked “Were the relevant authorities consulted before conducting the interview?”
Photo caption: An exclusive document, issued on Mar.14, 2022, reveals a fine by the Local Administration and Environment Board, regarding the Golden Rose factory’s failure to treat the wastes
She expressed her concerns, saying, “We have previously issued an official warning against this factory, and I am certain of it. I can provide you with documents. However, the problem remains unresolved, and therefore, we are responsible for halting its operation.”
In an attempt to shift responsibility, Omar emphasized the need for stronger public monitoring and complaint mechanisms. She asked, “Have the residents of the area filed any complaints? How can they allow someone to harm their land in this way?”
Contrary to Omar’s statement, testimonies from villagers reveal that they have repeatedly filed complaints, but the problem has not been resolved. The residents added, “We have come to believe that the project is affiliated with the AANES, making it difficult to address the issue.”
Omar denied these allegations, emphasizing that compliance with environmental conditions is more important than the entities overseeing the project. She affirmed, “It is our duty to take necessary actions, even if it requires suspending the project.”
The day after the interview, the Deputy co-chair provided us with a picture of a fine notice issued against the factory, imposing a fine of 100,000 Syrian pounds, which is less than 10 US dollars.
Photo caption: A fine note documenting a violation by the Golden Rose factory in May 4, 2023
Simultaneously, the factory management sent a letter to the board acknowledging the practice of storing waste in a trench and dispatching tankers to Qamishli for disposal into the city’s sewage channels, after the village municipality refused to handle the waste locally.
The factory management requested a 40-day deadline, starting from the date of the letter, to remove the waste and properly seal the pit. However, it is worth noting that the letter insists on transporting the waste to Qamishli and disposing of it in the sewage channels.
Photo caption: a letter from the management of the factory admitting to the confinement of waste in a trench and dispatching tankers to Qamishli
In an area burdened by unprecedented environmental degradation due to the effects of wars and armed conflicts, as well as the primitive makeshift oil refining, with the absence of adequate environmental regulations across various sectors, this plant further exacerbates the situation. All this occurs within the context of widespread corruption, which has become a prominent feature of Syria and places it among the most corrupt countries in the world.