Progress on Kishon reported, but status is fragile

The report said the Ministry for Environmental Protection has found that the Kishon is no longer the most polluted river in Israel.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
Haifa mayor Yona Yahav and city councilors toured the Kishon River last week and heard that good progress is being made in its rehabilitation, reports Yediot Haifa. But while the news was generally positive, Kishon River Authority officials said the river's ecosystem is still frail and is constantly being threatened by new business ventures, especially the container storage area now being built by the Israel Ports Company. According to the report, the councilors were taken on a boat ride down the river, and were shown the animals and birds that have begun to return to the area. An Authority official said he hoped the visit would turn the councilors into "ambassadors for the Kishon." He said he hoped the council would push ahead with a plan to create a deep sea pipeline that would take factory wastes out to sea rather than dumping them in the river. The council has not yet issued any official view on the issue. The report said the Ministry for Environmental Protection has found that the Kishon is no longer the most polluted river in Israel. The ministry now ranks the Kishon in 11th place out of 16 rivers that were checked for water quality, with the Hadera river deemed the most polluted. But the report said the Kishon's status was still "unstable" and could easily revert to its previous levels if industrial pollution was not prevented from entering the waters.