Civil Administration removes olive mill wastewater from rivers, coast
The Civil Administration of COGAT announced that it had treated and removed an additional 40% of olive mill wastewater, compared to its efforts the year prior.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFCivil Administration removes olive mill wastewater from rivers, coast(photo credit: COGAT)
The Civil Administration's Environmental Protection Unit completed its campaign to remove the olive mill wastewater from rivers and agricultural lands across the country.The Civil Administration of COGAT announced that it had treated and removed an additional 40% of olive mill wastewater, compared to its efforts the year prior.Approximately 8,300 cubic meters of olive mill wastewater were removed from the A-Shaer and Alexander riverbeds, and the Beit Yanai coast - wastewater which has plague the natural landscapes of Israel for decades, removed to the tune of a NIS 1,500,000 investment from the government.The Civil Administration noted that the wastewater removed 6,000 cubic meters the year prior, stemming from around 20 olive mills on the banks of the rivers - in line with the guidelines of the Ministry of Environmental Protection."I'm happy to report that we have succeeded for the first time in many years in preventing the flow of olive mill wastewater into the A-Shaer and Alexander riverbeds, as well as the Beit Yanai shoreline," said Head of the Environmental Protection Unit in the Civil Administration, Beni Elbaz. "That is a significant achievement, for which I offer my kudos."" Thanks to cooperation with the Hefer Valley Regional Council, we managed to efficiently and effectively remove olive mill wastewater and prevent severe contamination," he added. "We will continue to act with redoubled energy with the objective of eliminating environmental impacts in the area while advancing additional projects that will help maintain a clean environment for us all.”Other actions have been approved to clean rivers across the West Bank, including the A-Shaer and A-Tin rivers. Within these projects, the Civil Administration works with Palestinian counterparts to clean away debris accumulated along the rivers, preventing it from flowing into the rivers following heavy rains.
