Bathers seeking to escape the sweltering heat at Haifa's beaches were sorely disappointed this week as the municipality closed two stretches of surf due to contamination. On Sunday, the Bat Galim beach and
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The closure imposed on Sunday was due to the system being damaged when a handful of rags where thrown into the sewer, clogging the system and causing a flood. Maintenance crews from the Haifa municipality were alerted to the scene and fixed the damage.
Sewage flows out to sea in Netanya last month (Photo: Israel's Environmental Association)
Last week a high concentration of contaminates was discovered during routine checks carried out by the Health Ministry, although the origin is unknown. Haifa municipality claims that the two incidents are not linked and that the incident on Sunday originated outside of Haifa. The Ministry of Health said that quality checks are carried out every two days.
The Quiet Beach and Bat Galim Beach are not the only ones to be closed this year. Since swimming season kicked off, 15 beaches have been closed - the number constitutes a considerable improvement from the same period last year, when 73 beaches were closed
Despite the encouraging drop, a new worrying trend has the Interior Ministry worried - bathers who risk their lives by choosing to swim in unguarded beaches.
Yosef Amar, who oversees the beaches on behalf of the Interior Ministry, told Ynet that close to 50% of beaches have been closed more than once. "The same reason every time – sewage. The same thing in Bat Galim, same thing in Hertzelia and Tiberius - it's the same reasons every time" said Amar.
"Disgraceful" is how Ezer Fischler, vice chairman of Israel's Environmental Association ('Zalul' - clear), summed up the situation. "We don't have alternative free attractions in Israel. When it's hot you go to the beach, when you're bored you go to the beach, not everyone can afford to go abroad for a holiday.
"Not enough is being done by the different municipalities to prevent beaches from closing," charges Fischler, "in an election year people need to understand that mayors who ignore environmental and health issues must pay with their jobs".
Haifa's Municipality said in response that "two beaches were closed last week for 24 hours after pollutants were discovered in their water. The search for their origin is underway. This week the beaches were closed due to a sewage problem in a nearby neighborhood, a problem that was fixed within an hour of being reported.
"In June a malfunction occurred at a sewage pumping plant, which was repaired in several hours time and the beaches were opened the next day.
"The city of Haifa invests millions of shekels in constantly upgrading its sewage system and preventative maintenance. The number of sewage leaks is relatively small, however the city's topographical layout, coupled with the fact that Haifa has the longest beaches in Israel, does not completely prevent sewage leaks to the sea."
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