Invited Speakers

Dr. Mitsuo Yoshida

Global Environment Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tokyo, Japan

 

Speech Title: Technical Cooperation for Formulating Waste Reduction and Minimization Plan in Municipal Solid Waste Management, A Case Study in Palestine

Abstract: Palestine is divided into the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with a total population of 5 million, with about 3 million in the West Bank and 2 million in the Gaza Strip. These Palestinian residents generate more than 4,000 tons of municipal waste per day, and to ensure public health and prevent environmental pollution, the waste generated must be properly treated and disposed. Since no waste incineration facilities have been introduced, the only method of final disposal of waste is landfilling, but securing land for waste landfill sites is extremely difficult due to the problems under the occupation. In addition, the remaining capacity of the existing sanitary landfill and controlled dump sites is limited. Therefore, drastic reduction of waste generation and waste minimization, are urgent issues for the Palestinian Authority. Waste management in Palestine is handled by joint service councils (JSCs), which are jointly managed by local government units (LGUs) on a governorate basis. 13 JSCs in West Bank and 2 JSCs in Gaza Strip are providing waste collection services to residents. As a result, the coverage of waste collection services is more than 94% of residents by 2023. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to formulate a Waste Reduction and Minimization Plan (WRMP) for all JSCs and LGUs to cooperate in reducing the waste generation and minimizing the disposal amount of waste. The MoLG-JICA Project was implemented against this situation from 2020 to 2024. Unfortunately, activities have been significantly restricted due to the war in the Gaza Strip and the escalation of conflicts in the West Bank from October 2023 onwards, which have made it difficult to carry out normal waste management services. This paper describes the preparation process of the WRMP formulated by the Project, provides an overview of the WRMP, and discusses lessons and future challenges.

 

Dr. Mitsuo Yoshida was acquired his doctorate degree from the Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo in 1982. He has worked for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) since 1992, and current position is the Senior Advisor of JICA, mainly working for environmental management and waste management projects over the world. He was the visiting professor (Environmental Science and Technology) of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology from 2008 to 2012, and visiting professor (International Environmental Studies) of the Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo from 2012 to 2017. He is also the Director and CEO of the International Network for Environmental and Humanitarian Cooperation (iNehc), Nonprofit Inc., Tokyo, since 2017.

 

Prof. Kei Nakagawa
Institute of Integrated Science and Technology, Nagasaki University, Japan

 

Speech Title: Time Series Analysis to Estimate Soil Water Content: A Case Study in Shimabara, Nagasaki, Japan

Abstract: Soil water content (SWC) plays a pivotal role in agriculture. The use of atmospheric data to predict soil water content in real-time will greatly facilitate agricultural management and effectively improve agricultural production. In this study, we applied an SWC model that includes three components (i.e., seasonality variations, environmental factors, and long-term trends) and used meteorological data as inputs to predict SWC at different depths (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 cm) in a soil water content monitoring location in Shimabara, Japan. The prediction model uses singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and nonlinear least squares fitting (NLSF). This model achieved good prediction at soil depths of 20, 40, and 60 cm, and it was concluded that the soil water content in the study area had strong seasonal variations, and the impact of precipitation was stronger than that of other variables. The impact of global warming in this area is not dramatic in a short period of time. The results of this study show a promising application of the model for predicting the soil water content required in agriculture management and agricultural production.

 

Biography: Kei Nakagawa is a Professor of Environmental Groundwater Science with 30 years of research experience. He was first appointed as an Assistant Professor in Soil Science of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry in 1999 at Kyushu University and was promoted to Associate Professor in Water Use Engineering of the Department of Agricultural Engineering in 2002 at Kagoshima University. In April 2011, he was appointed Full Professor of Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences of Nagasaki University. His main fields of research interest include reactive transport in groundwater, physical and chemical hydrogeology and heterogeneity, saltwater intrusion and performance evaluation of subsurface dams in coastal aquifers, groundwater modeling, and remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater (phytoremediation and electro-kinetic remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils). Since being appointment at Nagasaki University in 2011, his main research topic has been nitrate pollution resulting from agricultural activities.