The Lachish River

In the 1960s the Lachish River was considered one of the most beautiful and strongest flowing rivers of Israel.  Its water was clean and clear as it served the local residents for swimming, fishing and other recreational activities. It is one the 16 rivers that flow into the Mediterranean Sea along Israel's coastline. 

Along with the development of the city of Ashdod and new settlements and factories along the river bank, the water quality of the river began deteriorating.  Today, most of the river is dry and the water that once was, is now sewage water from different factories and residential areas.

The source of the Lachish River is a natural spring in the Hebron Mountains.  From there, the river stretches 70 kilometers until it flows into the Mediterranean Sea.  Three smaller rivers connect to the Lachish River: Barkai River, Ella River and Govrin River.

These rivers that flow into the Lachish River are also polluted with industrial waste and sewage from local municipalities that take the river to be a "natural" sewage pipeline.

Park Lachish, which was recently constructed along the river bank several years ago for a tremendous monetary investment, today hugs the banks of a dangerously polluted river.

Unfortunately, the main contributors to the pollution are the same who should be protecting it.  The different municipalities along the river, that take the taxpayers money, instead of protesting the river for the residents, pollute it with the cities' sewage.

The factories eventually joined the municipalities in polluting the river; often as a result of personal connections to the authorities.  The authorities in Israel "close their eyes" with public indifference and impermeability.

The list of the bodies that pollute the river is long, and includes:

·        The industrial area of Ashdod which harbors many factories that flow the industrial waste through pipelines directly to the river.  The waste includes residue of slaughterhouses, car oils and heavy metals.

·        The Ashdod municipality allows for the flow of sewage from the eastern neighborhoods near the banks into the river. 

·        Frequent malfunctions of the Ashdod sewage treatment facility results in raw sewage flowing into the river. 

·        The sewage treatment facility of Hatzor and Gan Yavne also flows its sewage into the river at times of malfunction.

·        "Off Hakfar" factory spills brines into the river.

·        The Beit Govrin sewage treatment facility treats its sewage partially and than flows it into the Govrin River, which in turn flows into the Lachish River and into the sea.

·        The Industrial area of Kiryat Malachi harbors many factories that often spill their waste into the river without a legal permit.

• The Kiryat Malachi municipality spills different substances from unknown sources into the sea.
• The sewage treatment facility of the regional district Shafir does not function properly; the pipelines along the river spill raw sewage into the river.  The district was fined in the past, but the sewage continues to flow.

• The "Zera Genetics" factory spills its waste into the Barkai River that in turn flows into the Lachish River.  The factory was fined in the past for spilling its waste.
• Moshav Eitan spills its sewage into the river, even though it has a treatment pool that should be used.
• Moshav Nahora, Otzem, Nir, Chen and Shachar all have oxidation pools, but still spill their sewage as well as fumigation chemicals and fertilizers into the river.
• The regional district Be'er Tuvia has a new sewage treatment facility that is ready to be used, but currently remains closed; all the while, the older treatment center frequently overflows and leads to raw sewage being spilled into the Ella River which flows into the Lachish River.

Zalul Association began a public campaign in order to stop the polluting bodies from spilling their sewage into the Lachish River.  In line with the campaign, Zalul will also work directly with the enforcement authorities to stop the pollution immediately.

The public does not want a polluted Lachish River.  The river is the property of the public.  The public will not allow the river to be used as a private sewage pipeline.  With a reasonable monetary investment and some enforcement of the law, the Lachish River can become, once again, a beautiful natural paradise for the local residents.

We hold the heads of the municipalities and districts responsible for the ongoing pollution of the Lachish River.  They must respect the rights and desires of the public as well as the law of the state of Israel.  We urge all the enforcement authorities of the state to work in order to stop the pollution of the Lachish River.