Asbestos cleanup project's budget doubled

Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan ordered that the budget allocated for the identifying, removing and disposing of asbestos waste in northern Israel be increased from NIS 20 million a year to NIS 40 million, a ministry press release said. The asbestos cleanup project began in April 2011 and so far, contaminated asbestos amounting 14,000 cubic meters has been removed from 36 sites in the Western Galilee. The budget increase will allow the implementation of the project, which the ministry considered a public health priority, to be completed by 2014. "Every day that allows us to advance the project will save human lives," Erdan said. "By doubling the budget allocated to this project this year we can double the implementation rate of removing this hazard. This is a life-saving project, which is implemented according to the highest professional standards worldwide." The Environmental Ministry's data indicates that there are some 150,000 cubic meters of industrial asbestos waste dispersed across the Western Galilee. The hazardous material apparently originated from the Eitanit asbestos cement plant, which once operated in Nahariya. According to the ministry, the cost of asbestos removal and treatment is estimated at NIS 300 million over a five-year period. The project receives joint funding by the State, the local authorities that suffer from asbestos pollution and by Eitanit, which under the Prevention of Hazards from Asbestos and Harmful Dust Law – passed by the Knesset in 2011 – is liable for 50% of the cleanup costs – about NIS 150 million. Meanwhile, the plant petitioned the High Court against the State over its share in the project's financing. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter