Overseas Reports
A Report from a Former Participant【Current Activities in the Gaza Strip, Palestine】

Mr. AMEN in Akihabara, Tokyo during his stay in Japan

His E-mail (Recent News)

1) Course Leader: Hajime SUETA

2) Former Participant: Mr. AMEN Tareq W.M.

September 29 th, 2014
Training Division
Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association

～We report on activities being run by Mr. AMEN who works inthe sewerage sector in his homeland, the Gaza Strip, Palestine
after completing his JICA training course～This issue of ‘Overseas Reports’ covers the current situation of Mr. AMEN (Tareq-san)from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. This is the third issue of ‘Overseas Reports’, following
on from the previous reports about Mr. LEKGJONAJ from Albania and Mr. ONDER
from Turkey who were on the same training course as Mr. AMEN. Mr. SUETA, thecourse leader who managed this training course, introduced Mr. AMEN’s report to us.

1.Introduction of Former Participants who Reported Their Activities to Us◆Mr. AMEN Tareq W.M.
From Palestine
The former participant
who has reported hisactivities this time.
Theformerparticipants

whocompleted the training course,

The Circle of Information“Operation and Maintenance ofSewerage

SystemandIs Expanding!

WasteWater Treatment Technique (B)”in FY2012
Mr. SUETA,
course leader◆Mr. LEKGJONAJ Mark
From Albania◆Mr. ONDER Irfan Bahadir
From Turkey

The former participant
who reported hisactivities in October 2013.

The former participant
who reported his
activities in March 2014.

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2.Introduction of Mr. AMEN Tareq W.M.

At the time of Mr. AMEN's visit to Japan his job was to collaborate in the planning of theGaza Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Project and to supervise its implementation. Heprovides guidance for companies, for example by visiting the project site, advising thesupervisors and checking the progress of the project.
He joined the training course from a region that has few specialists in the field of sewer
engineering. He therefore aspired to study everything to do with such areas as wastewater
treatment techniques, planning and design methods, operation and maintenance techniques,
and industrial wastewater treatment methods. He was the second youngest of the nine
participants on the course.

3.A Message from Mr. SUETA, Course Leader

At the job report presentations, he started his PowerPoint slide show by showing how
Palestinian territory is being steadily encroached upon. We got areal sense of how serious the territorial issue is. Amidst suchdifficult conditions for the country, the sewerage project has reached
the stage where, with assistance from Japan, it will have a large
wastewater processing plant.

I was amazed at how hard Mr. AMEN studied, even though
Palestine is a country that does not yet have a wastewater processing plant. He is aware that
it will be the role of the participants in this training to push forward with further new
wastewater treatment projects, and it was apparent that he had fully studied aspects such as
the differences between wastewater treatment in Japan and his own country. He tackled thetraining with an interest in everything from major topics such as general plans for
wastewater treatment plants down to minute details, asking questions such as 'Which tools
are used to open manholes?'He took 'Updating the Final Design for the Gaza Central Sewerage Project (Wastewater
Treatment Plant)' as the theme of his action plan at the end of the course, giving apresentation about the wastewater treatment plant technology he had learned in Japan andhow he would apply it in his homeland. Although we did not have many opportunities tointeract on an individual basis during his training, I was once again impressed by how very
passionate this young man is about his studies when I read in his email about how he has
finished his master's degree and now wants to take up the challenge of a doctoral program.
Although his country is in an extremely difficult situation, I hope that he will continue to do
his very best to advance the Palestinian sewerage project.
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4.Recent News from Mr. AMEN

I would like to express my grateful thanks and appreciation to you and to the people of Japan and their respected
government for given me opportunity to carry out that visit under your supervision.
Special thanks for JICA; The coordinator and sponsor for this study tour.
Here we still suffering from the occupation. People here in Gaza still under theimposed siege, everything is paralyzed by the force of the occupation. From 7 July to26 August 2014, the Israeli occupation army launched a military war in the Gaza Strip,UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 2,101
Palestinians have been killed in last July and August in addition hundreds of thousands of Civilians become
homeless after their houses were completely demolished.
Gaza already faced a challenging situation in regards to water and wastewater prior to the escalation, andservices were further hampered during the war, due to electricity and fuel shortages and the inaccessibility ofmany installations. Approximately half a million people were directly affected by damage to water facilities, andone million were affected due to damage to the wastewater plant and wastewater pumping stations.
Personally I was lucky where I have been one of technical team which work to update design of Gaza central
sewerage treatment plant “Construction will begin in 2017” with capacity of 180,000 m3/day and during war I
joined to emergency committee for water sector but now to returned to my work in water and environment
department in the ministry of local government. At the end of June I finished the requirement to hold master
degree in civil engineering and I hope to take chance to gain PhD scholarship, I should be grateful to you if you
recommended me to this chance.
Finally I recommend you to use Facebook account to communicate with all of training course team in same time.
Keep in touch

Eng . Tareq Waleed Amen
Msc in Construction Management
Ministry of Local Government,
Water and Environment Department Deputy Manger35.Outline of the JICA Training Course Mr. AMEN Attended(1) Course Name:(2) Course Leader: Hajime SUETA(3) Training Period :(4) ParticipantsOperation and Maintenance of Sewerage System and Waste Water Treatment Technique (B)January 16, 2013 to March 8, 2013

: 9 participants from 8 countriesa) Albaniaf) Angola

Mr. LEKGJONAJb) Palestine c) Turkey d) Iraq e) Mauritiusg) Colombia h) Costa Rica (2 members）

Mr. SUETA,course leader

Mr. ONDER

Mr. AMEN

A memorial group photo at the closing ceremony of the training course,“Operation and Maintenance of Sewerage System and Waste Water Treatment Technique (B)” in FY 2012

Mr. LEKGJONAJMr. ONDER

Mr. AMENMr. AMEN

Practice of water analysis

At Mt. Sarakura covered with snow

at the Hiagari Sewage Treatment Plant

46. Photos Album of the JICA/KITA Training Course(From January to March, 2013)

At the closing party

Mr. AMEN making his‘Job Report’ presentation

Receiving the certificate
at the closing ceremony

At a sewerage construction site

In front of the Minamata Disease
Memorial Monument

Storm simulation boothat Tokyo Life Safety Learning Center

At the Environmental Museum of Water

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