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Environmental experts worried about tar pollution at sea: "An event that will be written in the history books"

Following the unusual pollution on the beaches, a marine science expert clarified that this is a rolling event that could take months.

An inspection by the Ministry of Environmental Protection shows that it is an emission of oils or oil from a vessel that passed in front of the beach.

"This is the biggest event in 40 years"

Tags

• Infection

• Coastal pollution

• Seawater pollution

• tar

• ecology

Yoav Itiel

Saturday, February 20, 2021, 21:41

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In the video: Hundreds of volunteers clean the tar that covered the beaches (Photo: Association of Cities for Environmental Protection Sharon, edited by: Assaf Drori)

Environmental experts believe that pollution at sea is one of the largest and most complex pollution events we have experienced, and that rehabilitation could take months.

"We are in a very big event," he told Walla!

NEWS Dr. Dor Adelist from the Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa.

"I'm immersed in this event right now up to my neck, and it's a rolling event that will last for weeks and maybe even months."

Dr. Adelist, who leads the clearing of the rocky beach at Carmel Beach on behalf of "Clear", added that "my biggest concern is that there is still a lot of oil in the sea that is now poisoning animals, and has not yet reached us.

We saw pictures of turtles and birds affected and we hope that the damage will be minimal. "He said it was an accident that occurred ship, and that" at the moment we still do not know how, but I believe it will become clear soon. "

" I clean up tar already than -2014 and it is my estimation big event "Most of this kind in the last four decades on the Israeli coast," Dr. Adelist clarified.

"This is something we have not yet seen, an event that will be written in the history books of ecology in Israel and I hope also in the history books of dealing with ecological crises."

More on Walla!

NEWS

Thousands of volunteers clean the tar that covered the beaches: "Severe environmental disaster"

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The lumps of tar discovered on the Mediterranean coast this week (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority)

He added that "it should be remembered that it is a toxic substance and is toxic to fish and animals that filter water, to anyone who passes water through its tissues. We treat pollution on beaches, but tar on beaches indicates oil in the sea."

Adelsit explained that "the tar itself is toxic and is a product of oil. It is toxic and we do not know how much there is yet. In the coming days we will get a good picture with an orderly mapping of the tar along the shores, and we will know what we need."

Dr. Adelist noted that there is a national plan for responding to oil pollution incidents. "The State of Israel has the means, I do not know if that is enough.

"I think we could and should have raised more resources, and environmental organizations have been shouting this for a very long time." He clarified that it could take decades for the system to recover from the damage. , Clarified. "It takes a lot of volunteers, a lot of working hands and a lot of determination."

However, Adelist explained that "the rocky beach is different from the sandy beach, among other things in that it is not possible to operate heavy vessels there.

We will work by hand, with a lot of teams and over time and we hope to achieve good results. "He said," We have experience in removing tons of tar stains from the rocky shore, because we have done that in the past as well. "

"It takes a lot of working hands and determination."

Volunteers clean tar from Atlit beach, this morning (Photo: screenshot, Ruthi Benin)

Over the weekend, thousands of volunteers from a number of regional councils in the coastal area assisted in efforts to clean the tarred beaches.

The volunteers concentrated on a number of centers, including Atlit, Bat Galim, Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Neve Yam and Hadera.

"Call to politicians to stop babbling themselves known and to come here to help us. There is an event ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE magnitude we did not know like it before. Come help us", said Chairman of the Association of Towns Sharon Carmel and head of the regional council Hof Carmel Asif Isaac.

From tomorrow, the IDF " Will assist the Nature and Parks Authority in an effort to clean the beaches.

Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and Director General of the Nature and Parks Authority, Shaul Goldstein, agreed on the cooperation, during which thousands of IDF soldiers will assist employees and volunteers of the Nature and Parks Authority in mapping areas affected by tar pollution, cleaning beaches and orderly garbage to designated sites. The Nature and Parks Authority congratulated the Chief of Staff on the initiative, which joins other collaborations between the Nature and Parks Authority and the IDF.

At the same time, a reconnaissance flight from the Ministry of Environmental Protection took off this morning in order to measure the dimensions of the pollution off the coast of Israel and at sea.

According to the ministry's announcement, about 160 km in the coastal strip, from Rosh Hanikra to Ashkelon beach, were significantly contaminated with tar. A cruise passed off the coast of Israel, "it was reported. The flight took place after the stormy weather calmed down, and the test was possible.

"The damage done to nature should worry every citizen"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the ecological hazard, saying that he had asked the Minister of Environmental Protection "to bring to the cabinet meeting a report on the case that is still being investigated, and that she will bring a plan to treat the beaches."

He added that "we will clean up our beaches".

Minister Gila Gamliel said that the ministry is examining information from the European Maritime Safety Agency, according to which the suspect's spot was identified at sea via satellite about a week ago, about 50 kilometers off the coast of Israel.

This suspicious spot, located outside Israel's territorial waters, was identified by satellite and examined by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as a possible source of pollution, using a model to predict sea movement.

The results of the model show a good fit to the original, and its connection to the tar blocks emitted in recent days on the beaches.

"We located about ten ships that passed by, and one or more of them may be suspected of being responsible for the serious incident that struck the shores of Israel," Gamliel clarified.

"Our nature, the marine environment and the health of us all are not no man's land. The polluting tar that has harmed the beaches and animals has a person responsible, who acted negligently and irresponsibly. The damage caused to nature should concern every citizen."

Blocks of tar on Hadera beach, this week (Photo: Official website, Sharon Adi and Dan Biron, Ministry of Environmental Protection)

She congratulated the volunteers who came over the weekend to help clean up the beaches.

"The mobilization of the public for beach cleaning efforts is heartwarming. Tar is a dangerous substance, and volunteers who want to continue to help are only allowed to do so in coordination with local authorities, the Nature and Parks Authority and Aquaculture, which has trained volunteers with us."

President Reuven Rivlin also referred to pollution on beaches, saying "the pollution pictures on our shores are terrible. Oya on our flora and fauna, on seawater blackened in tons of tar. It's time for an immediate national plan before facing an unprecedented ecological disaster."

Rivlin also congratulated the volunteers for cleaning the beaches, but clarified that "these are actions that should support an orderly and budgeted plan, which will curb the disaster and ensure readiness for such difficult cases in the future as well."

Blocks of tar on the coast of Rishon Lezion, this week (Photo: Official website, Dror Arieli - Inspector of the Marine Unit, Ministry of Environmental Protection)

MK Tamar Zandberg, chairman of the Meretz faction, also appealed to the government to establish an emergency plan to clean up the beaches.

"The dimensions of the pollution reach an ecological catastrophe, immediate government involvement is required to save the shores of Israel," Zandberg noted.

"This is lawlessness," said former MK Dov Hanin, former chairman of the Knesset's joint committee on environmental and health issues.

"How does the government claim that it is impossible to know where the huge oil pollution on the shores came from - when Israel knows how to identify every fishing boat off the coast of Cyprus? How does the government not have a contingency plan for oil pollution? Why is the Ministry of Finance blocking budgeting?"

"Who will deal with the oil pollution that will be caused by the drilling in the deep sea next to us?".

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