(Live here with the streams) - The Saadia stream was filled with sewage, oils and white foam as soon as the first rain system arrived in the area • "This is evidence that the matter is not being handled properly," says Eric Drobot
◄Sewage and oils in Nahal Saadia with the first rain system • Watch
With the first rain system in the area, Nahal Saadia was filled with sewage, oils and white foam. How is it possible that this sad scene repeats itself every year? How is it that the issue is not addressed, even though the Ministry of Environmental Protection passed a budget designated for this and handed over the responsibility for it to the Drainage Authority and the Haifa Municipality?
◄The entire Saadia stream is polluted • Watch
In a face-to-face conversation, Eric Dorbot said:
"In the last two years, the Kishon Drainage Authority and the Haifa Municipality have received a budget from the Ministry of Environmental Protection in order to take care of the drainage system and prevent the pollution of streams. Despite this, we are again witnessing, unfortunately, the flooding of sewage and oils already in the first serious rain in the area, which indicates that the issue was not handled properly."
◄ The stream is polluted with filth and sewage - again • Watch
The Kishon River Authority responded:
"The Kishon River Authority installed absorbents ahead of time at all drainage outlets to the Saadia River, with the aim of preventing and minimizing its pollution from surface runoff, road washes, oils and fuels. These pollutants are washed into the river in the first rain system through the drainage system. In this regard, we note that the local authority is responsible for the system the drainage and prevention of pollution of the stream coming from it and it must act to upgrade and properly maintain this infrastructure."
The Haifa Municipality responded:
"The Municipality of Haifa in collaboration with the Kishon Drainage and Rivers Authority won 2.5 million NIS as part of a call that was published jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The purpose of the call is to preserve, restore and make the Saadia River accessible to the public. The budget will allow for a long-term holistic response to the treatment of hazards along the stream, comprehensive ecological restoration and making the unique stream accessible to the general public. As part of the submission of the call, the operations manager, the environmental unit and the landscape planning department in the engineering directorate worked together with the Kishon Drainage and Streams Authority to formulate a long-term work plan for the restoration of the stream."
The Ministry of Environmental Protection stated in response: "This phenomenon of urban drainage from the roads and yards, especially in the first rains, unfortunately characterizes all the streams in all regions of the country and not just the Saadia stream. This is not industrial pollution or illegal discharges. The runoff water carries soil with it and there is a flow of muddy water in the streams. When it rains in an urban and industrial area, pollutants from the roads and yards, including fuels, are also washed into the streams. In an inspection by the Kishon River Authority on the same day of the flow, November 8, 2022, no abnormal ammonia concentration was found - which is an indicator of the presence of sewage in the stream, but fuel residues were visually visible on the water. Means were placed at the site to absorb this oil in order to prevent the pollution from flowing into the stream. The next day, a representative of the ministry visited the place and no signs of contamination were seen. The Ministry of Environmental Protection allocated a dedicated budget for the restoration of the Saadia River, which is transferred to the Kishon Drainage Authority, and the execution of the restoration was assigned to the Kishon River Authority."
Did the article interest you?
The authority passes the ball to the municipality, the municipality uses long-term words like planning to cover up continuous non-performance and the responsible office is silent - there is nothing new under the sun. Officials warm their seats with handsome salaries at the expense of the public, whom they knock over and over again
The Haifa municipality's response to the "long-term work plan to restore the river" means "if we knew where the sewage was coming from, we would do something, but we have no idea at all, so it takes a lot of time to think about what to do."
The municipality of Haifa will soon end in 2022. and still neglects the Saadia stream. The stream continues to pollute. Soon the money will not stand in favor of the river. And another election moment needs to be woken up. Because the public does not forget