Sewage system imperiledNur Eldan, general manager of the Mei Carmel water and sewage company, has warned that the sewage system in the Haifa area is “on the verge of collapse,” reports the NRG website. He explained that the infrastructure is over 50 years old and handles the sewage of more than 300,000 residents in the north.At peak times, the system processes 3,000 cubic meters of sewage, including industrial waste from the Haifa Bay area.Mei Carmel initiated the creation of a joint task force of six water corporations in the Bay area six months ago, with a view to advancing plans to replace the main waste piping system of around 22 kilometers in length. A tender has been issued for the NIS 88 million project, and the winner is to be announced in the near future.Police get tough with youthPolice in the Haifa area have launched a campaign to cut down on alcohol consumption in public places, in particular drinking that involves minors, reports the Mynet website.In the last couple of weeks, police confiscated large quantities of alcohol found in the possession of minors in Haifa and the surrounding area and took steps to eradicate the incidence of youngsters roaming the streets and causing disturbances.An official of the Tirat Carmel police force said that the increased activity was producing the desired results, adding that “the public feels the change, and the reduction in the phenomenon” of alcohol consumption and disturbance of the peace in public places.CENTER
Residents bemoan infrastructuresResidents of the Mazalot Compound and Hamagen Park area of Hod Hasharon have sent a strongly worded letter to the local municipality complaining about the poor state of the infrastructures there, reports the Local website.They claim that the municipality has not made good on its promises to build new roads and sidewalks, install street lighting and tend gardens in the area, and that the work has been in abeyance for several years.The residents also noted the problem of dog dirt in the park flower beds and open spaces, noting that the park lawns are consequently unusable.A Hod Hasharon Municipality spokesperson said that the complaints were being addressed and that dog owners were requested to clean up after their animals.
Netanya looks to Kiryat YamThe leader of the Netanya Municipality opposition, Herzl Keren, has called on the local authority to take a leaf out of Kiryat Yam’s book and adapt buildings in the city to the guidelines of outline plan 38 (known as Tama 38), which calls on local authorities to make buildings earthquake proof, reports the Local website.Several four-story buildings on Rehov Hahistadrut in Kiryat Yam will have four floors added, while the existing apartments will gain another room, a balcony and a parking space. The building will have a lobby and elevator installed, and the exterior will be renovated. The building will also be strengthened to withstand earthquakes.Kiryat Yam is the first local authority in the country to embark on this work, and Keren has called on the Netanya Municipality to consider carrying out similar work on certain buildings in the city.Kudos for beachesBat Yam’s six beaches have been awarded the highest rating available based on the Clean Beach scale initiated by the country’s local authorities and the Environmental Protection Ministry. The rating system is designed to promote cleanliness and safety of the country’s beaches, reports the Local website.A Bat Yam Municipality official said that Bat Yam operates six beaches, with free admission, including a separate beach for religious members of the public.The official added that the municipality recently purchased two new sea bikes, in addition to the two rafts which have been operated by lifeguards at the beaches for some time.This year’s official bathing season opens today and ends on October 27.
Hadag Nahash concert rained offThe late precipitation was certainly a welcome surprise for this parched part of the world, but several thousand youngsters in Kfar Saba were hugely disappointed last week when a show by the Hadag Nahash veteran hip-hop band was canceled due to the wet weather, reports the NRG website.The concert was due to take place near the Arim Shopping Mall in the city, as part of the Arim festival and was called off only at the last minute. The large crowd which had gathered for the concert was unaware of the decision and only realized the show was not going ahead when the stage workers started dismantling the amplification equipment.
IDC students ask for synagogueStudents of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya have long campaigned for a synagogue to be installed on the campus, to no avail, reports the Mynet website. Last week a petition was initiated to gather signatures from a large number of students.The organizers of the campaign say there is great demand for a synagogue, and that there are around 3,500 religious students at IDC. The text of the petition notes that besides acting as a place of prayer, synagogues also provide a venue for social gatherings.An IDC official responded that there were plans to establish a synagogue on the campus, and that work on it would go ahead “after the planning process has been completed with the district committee.”SOUTHStudents go green at schoolLast week, 11th-grade students at Amal Technological School in Beersheba invented an environmentally friendly wallet made solely of recycled snack wrappers, reports the Local website. The students, from the school’s autotronics department, designed and produced the wallet as part of a national Young Entrepreneurs project. The wallet was unveiled to the public at the Hanegev Shopping Mall in Beersheba, where 20 were purchased by shoppers.This was the first stage of the project. The final, regional stage will take place at Ben-Gurion University in June.
Nir Yisrael gets traffic lightsResidents of Moshav Nir Yisrael, near Ashkelon, have been campaigning for over three years for traffic lights to be installed at the entrance to the moshav.The struggle, led by moshav members Benny Ayun and Anat Peled, has included numerous demonstrations and protests with local residents employing a wide range of tactics to draw the Transport Ministry’s attention to the local residents’ plight. Ayun and Peled say that over the years there have been “hundreds of traffic accidents” at the junction at the entrance to the moshav.At one point, the moshav even offered to lend the ministry NIS 1 million to help fund the installation of the traffic lights.The campaign has finally borne the desired fruits, and last week traffic lights were installed at Nir Yisrael Junction, reports the NRG website.BGU launches Beduin databaseLast week, Ben-Gurion University officially launched an online database with information about the Beduin population of the Negev, reports the NRG website. The database contains all research work and all articles published about the Beduin in the region. Many of the articles and other literature are available for free download.The database includes information in English and Hebrew, and in the future will also contain literature in Arabic. The information will be updated every six months to include new research and will be available to researchers, students and the general public.