Israel was on the way to becoming a Third World country in 2003: more crowded and more polluted, according to the Israel Union for Environmental Defense environmental poverty report for 2003.
The Union for Environmental Defense submitted the report to President Moshe Katsav yesterday. The report notes the link between weak populations and severe environmental degradation, citing the example of the Jaffa residents whose homes were flooded by sewage water from a burst Dan Region Sewage Reclamation Project (Shafdan) pipe; children from Umm Batin who play among syringes; and residents of Yeruham, the southern neighborhoods of beer Sheva and other communities who suffer from hazardous emissions from factories at Ramat Hovav.
The report also lists polluting companies that have not been indicted, including Tnuva, Telma Blue Band, a brand of Israel Edible Products (Tami)-Bestfoods, Haifa Chemicals, and Oil Refineries. The report states that Israel Military Industries does not allow the Water Commission to enter its installations to test for groundwater contamination.
The sharply-worded report also cited Mirage, owned by Gad Zeevi, which operates an illegal dump in Lod, without any municipal supervision.
The report states that the Carmel seafront promenade in Haifa was built illegally, and apartments in the Herzliya Marina project were sold illegally.
The Union for Environmental Defense claims that its 2003 report shows that the average Israeli citizen is helpless against polluting developers and tycoons, and that the well-known link between capital and power continues to operate, harming the rights, health, and lives of Israel's citizens, and the country's environment.
The rise in the water level in the Kinneret last winter severely contaminated the National Water Carrier, but the state has not cleaned it, allowing the water to reach households.
The report claims that rotting plants raised the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the Kinneret, and the lake's water was unfit for drinking in March-April 2003.
The report details severe air pollution hazards, due to the increase in population, the number of vehicles and factories, and rising demand for electricity. The cities with the highest levels of carcinogenic particles are Beer Sheva, Modi'in, Kiryat Malakhi, Ashdod, Holon, and the towns around Bar-Ilan University.
Groundwater under the coastal plain is polluted, and is liable to cause respiratory and digestive tract illnesses in infants. Poisonous chemicals have been found in drinking water wells in Ramat Hasharon, Herzliya, Kfar Shmaryahu, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Givatayim, Kiryat Ono, Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, and Holon.
The report states that fuel may be leaking from underground tanks at 87% of existing gas stations.
The report states that Ramat Hovav risks the health of Negev residents. Emissions of carcinogenic chlorine by the Bromine Compounds plant exceed permissible limits by 800%. Emissions of carcinogenic Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) by Makhteshim Chemical Works exceeded permissible limits by 229%.
The report states that Israel has only seven sq.m. of green space per person, compared with 20 sq.m. in Western countries. The report states that developers exploit loopholes in the law to sell non-existent open spaces to the public. Public parks are fenced in and entry fees are charged.
Meanwhile, the Green Police has only 33 officers nationwide, preventing any serious law enforcement.
The report criticizes Minister of National Infrastructures Joseph Paritzky, stating that he prefers the use of polluting coal over cleaner natural gas, as seen in his promotion of coal-fired power stations, despite the objections of the Ministry of the Environment.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on December 30, 2003