[1/4] A Palestinian rides a cart drawn by a horse wearing a diaper, to keep the Gaza streets clean, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

GAZA, June 13 (Reuters) - On the crowded streets of Gaza, horse-drawn carts continue to carry goods and agricultural produce, providing a vital service but creating a sanitary problem that one group wants to solve with diaper-style bags to keep the roads clear of manure.

As well as the smell and flies they attracts, piles of manure are an unsightly blight, said municipal sanitary worker Saher Khattab, who drives a horse-drawn cart to collect garbage.

The bags, attached to the rump of donkeys and horses that ply the streets, are intended to eliminate the problem at the source, at the same time collecting a source of natural fertilizer that can be used in nearby farm land.

"We are keen to preserve a clean environment, keep our streets clean, and maintain a civilized situation," said Anwar Al-Ghawash, one of a group of activists promoting the initiative in Deir Al-Balah town in the southern Gaza Strip.

Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi

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