Israel Ministry of the Enviromental Protection - News

Ministries of Environmental Protection and Health Urge Public to Increase Precautionary Measures against Mosquitoes

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Due to a rise in West Nile Virus bearing mosquitoes, Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Health have called on the public to increase precautionary measures against pollution, especially the use of preventative measures to reduce pesticide use.

Precautionary measures against mosquitoes include:

Draining sources of standing water
Refraining from overwatering gardens
Emptying water from flowerpots and planters in yards
Informing the local authority about mosquito nuisances in public areas
Taking personal preventative measures such as mosquito repellants, fans and window screens

Some 24 diagnosed cases and 6 presumed cases of West Nile Virus have been reported to the Epidemiology Division of the Ministry of Health recently, indicating an earlier outbreak of the disease than in previous years, when 6-13 cases were reported in parallel periods. An 87 year old woman, with a previous history of cardio-vascular and metabolic disease, has died of the disease. Most of the cases have been reported in the Central and Tel Aviv regions of the country with some isolated cases in the Haifa region and in the south.

West Nile Virus bearing mosquitoes are widely distributed in Israel. Immuno-compromised populations, such as the elderly, the ill and children, are more vulnerable to the disease. To respond to the problem, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health run a joint early detection system to identify the distribution of the virus and to take action to reduce morbidity from West Nile Virus in Israel

380,000 Shekel Fine to Local Authority for Water Pollution

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Ramle Magistrate's Court convicted the Be'er Yaakov Local Council of polluting river quality and potentially contaminating groundwater. In the period between 1996 and 2000, sewage was discharged from the sedimentation ponds of the council's wastewater treatment facility to the Shapirim River and low-quality effluents overflowed from the effluent reservoir to the Shapirim River and to the Ayalon River, causing odors, polluting the river water and risking groundwater quality.

The defendants in the case, which included the local council, several high-level municipal officials, and other responsible officials, were charged with offenses under the Water Law, 1959 and the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law, 1984.

In light of the fact that 90% of the council's sewage is currently transferred for treatment at the Ayalon Wastewater Treatment Plant, with the rest slated for treatment in the near future, the court adopted a plea bargain agreement between the sides, whereby the local council accepted responsibility for the offenses and was convicted, while charges against the other defendants were dropped. The council signed a financial commitment in the sum of 300,000 to refrain from similar offenses for a two year period. The fine will be transferred to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund.

A First in Israel: Ranking the Quality of Declared Beaches

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On Sep 1, 2010, Israel launched its "Blue Green Flag" program, which will provide reliable and updated information on the maintenance, cleanliness and safety of Israel's declared beaches, defined as beaches with lifeguard services. The program is inspired by the international Blue Flag eco-label. It will rank all of Israel's beaches along the Mediterranean Sea and Eilat.

Criteria selected for ranking at this stage include:

water quality
beach cleanliness
parking
access to the disabled
beach facilities
sewage connection
public opinion
ministerial discretion

Beaches will be ranked by means of flags, with the lowest ranking showing 0 flags and the highest ranking (number four) showing 3 flags. The criteria were selected by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in cooperation and with the approval of the national inspector of the Ministry of Health and the Head of the Business Licensing and Beach Division in the Ministry of the Interior.

Beach ranking is an important tool for increasing awareness and public participation. The ranking will be published every two weeks during the month of Sep and the holiday season, based on weekly checks by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The ministry expects to increase the criteria for beach ranking in the summer of 2011.

Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection Gilad Erdan has sent letters to the mayors of Israel's coastal cities describing the initiative and the importance of protecting Israel's coastlines, both for environmental-ecological reasons and for the benefit of the public. The rankings, which will be widely published in the media and on websites, will provide the public with important information on the state of beaches throughout the country while serving as a monitoring tool for mayors and enforcement bodies.

According to Minister Erdan: "The ranking will bring about full transparency on the level and quality of beaches in Israel and will lead to competition and cooperation between local authorities, which will promote better services to the beach-going public."