The Ministry of Environmental Protection expresses concern about a re-spread of the pollution ahead of the storm that is expected on Tuesday • "The best way to dispose of waste is by manual cleaning"
Tar pollution in the sea:
Over the weekend, cleaning operations began in several areas in an attempt to address what appears to be a serious natural disaster that has been seen for decades in Israel.
Cleaning the tar pollution in the Tel Dor National Park // Photo: Tomer Ofri, Nature and Parks Authority
The severe marine pollution includes tens of tons of tar and oil, and is spread over a large area of more than 160 km - from Rosh Hanikra in the north to Zikim in the south. Life, vegetation, rocks and stones.
According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the cause of the incident is the emission of oils or oil from a vessel that passed off the coast of Israel.
According to the European Maritime Safety Agency, about a week ago, the suspect's spot was identified as oil, about 50 kilometers off the coast of Israel.
The ministry located about 10 ships that passed by, "and one or more of them may be suspected of being responsible for the serious incident."
In a situation assessment of the ministry that took place last night with representatives of local authorities, city associations for the environment, the association and all relevant bodies, the Minister of Environmental Protection, Gila Gamliel, described: "We currently have control over the incident, even though it is a very complex event."
It should be noted that yesterday (Saturday) the patrol flight was boarded and identified that no more tar stains were seen in the sea.
But at the same time, in assessing the situation, the professionals presented a forecast according to which another storm with high waves will start on Tuesday, and therefore, lumps of tar that are on the rocks at the beach may be cut off and transported with the currents to nearby beaches.
"We are mobilizing the resources, the Marine Pollution Prevention Fund has already approved the budget assistance to the authorities, and in the coming days we will transfer the actual assistance," Gamliel added.
The cleaning procedure in this case is quite complex - the contamination is in the form of semi-solid or completely solid tar, so the correct way to remove the waste from the beaches is by manual cleaning, separating as much as possible the oily and sand waste and regular waste - which greatly increases the importance of volunteers.
The clean-up process itself is expected to damage the beach’s infrastructure.
Beyond the immediate damage to flora and fauna, the major concern is from the infiltration of pollutants into groundwater.
The guideline for volunteers is to act in coordination in three ways: the local authorities, the Nature and Parks Authority or the "Association" in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Meanwhile, the IDF also announced that it will assist the Nature and Parks Authority in an effort to clean the beaches. The Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, and the Director General of the Nature and Parks Authority, Shaul Goldstein, agreed that starting this week, thousands of IDF soldiers will assist PA employees. Nature and gardens in mapping areas affected by tar pollution, cleaning beaches and orderly disposal of garbage to designated sites.
"At this stage, the waste collected is waiting in designated areas in the coastal hinterland, and we are examining various solutions for waste treatment, also through the government company for environmental services," the ministry said.
