Following the tar damage identified off the coast of Israel, many Israelis came to collect the pollutants • Yesterday, Minister Gamliel said: "Workers to locate those responsible for the destruction."
Dozens of volunteers came today to clean the beach in Haifa from tar pollution
Photo:
Hertz Shapira
Many Israelis visited the shores of Israel today (Saturday), but not for recreation: following the pollution of the hard tar that was discovered on the beaches, citizens came to collect the waste that had accumulated in them.
It seems that this is the most serious natural disaster seen in Israel in decades.
Marine pollution is spread over an area of shoots from 160 km - from the Nitzanim area to Rosh Hanikra. The event caused the elimination of habitats and the infestation of sand, animals, vegetation, rocks and stones in tar.
Yesterday, the Minister of Environmental Protection conducted a situation assessment with the heads of the authorities, and tar deposits have been discovered on the beaches in their territory.
"This is an event of a magnitude we have not seen in years," the minister said, "and the ecological and biological damage caused by it has not yet been assessed. full.
"Our joint work with the local authorities is critical. The people of the Ministry of Environmental Protection work closely with those responsible in the authorities, and the faster we act, the less we can reduce the damage and complete the cleaning soon."
Nir Papai, Vice President of Nature and Environment at the Society for the Protection of Nature: "We do not yet understand the ecological implications of this event, it requires a great deal of effort and mobilization of all responsible parties to rehabilitate even a little.
We call on the state and the citizens to mobilize. "