Those who have been visiting the shores of Eilat recently have come across significant work being carried out by the municipality: a large concrete plaza is already standing on the waterfront at Kiosk Beach, and businesses are operating on it. The concrete that covered the beach and the work carried out by the Eilat Municipality not only prevents bathers from accessing the waterline and reduces the beach area open to the public, but also harms the coastal environment, may lead to damage to sensitive coral reefs in the Gulf of Eilat, contrary to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. At Zion, Kisoski and Almog beaches, concrete work is planned and construction is being carried out “unnecessarily and in a way that harms the coastal environment and the unique natural values of the area,” according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which requires the planning director to hold an urgent discussion to stop coastal destruction.
In the municipality of Eilat, a project is being carried out on the city’s beaches to “renew and upgrade the city’s beaches, in order to make them more accessible, beautiful and safer,” according to the municipality. This, the permit house after a storm that occurred on the shores of the city in 2020 caused enormous damage, estimated at NIS 100 million according to the municipality. For the same need, the city was granted building permits by the planning director, but the Ministry of Environmental Protection – is not a member of the licensing committee that approved the building permits, and these were issued without coordination with him, despite the ministry’s request back in 2020. : “The extensive use made of reinforced concrete poured on coastal land should not be an accepted practice in 2022. There are environmentally friendly ways to make the beautiful beaches of Eilat accessible to the public.”
Concrete stands that have reduced the number of coastal strips available to the public by a few meters / Photo: Eli Warburg, Ministry of Environmental Protection
As part of the renovation, the municipality demanded that the shoreline be paved with concrete, and this is what is being done these days: reinforced concrete is poured into the sandy coastal ground. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the loss of coastal land is almost irreversible. The construction of rigid concrete elements in or near the waterline can cause, during a strong storm, not only the depletion of the ground but also the increased destruction of the corals due to the increased energy of the waves returning to the sea. “Experience shows that the right solution is to keep development and construction away from the water line, and the facilities that need to be attached to the water line should be set up as detachable facilities – a lesson that was supposed to be learned after the storm in Eilat in March 2020,” the ministry explains. Furthermore, as part of the works, beach umbrellas are being set up, some of which will be lit at night – in a way that could produce light pollution in a sensitive coastal environment, which serves as a home for animals that may be harmed as a result.
Ministry of Environmental Protection: “The Eilat Municipality is called upon not to promote at this stage steps that contradict the document”
Despite the environmental danger inherent in development work on the shoreline, the comments made by the ministry during 2020 regarding the planned proximity of development to the water line and to the building and foundation materials, as part of the construction plans – were not accepted. In 2020, the Southern District of the Ministry of Environmental Protection approached the relevant authorities to obtain the building permit applications and examine the planned works, including the construction of concrete walkways near the water line, extensive use of rigid concrete construction, and the construction of a pier at Almog Beach. The ministry expressed concern about serious damage to the coastal environment, and believed that this was an excess and unnecessary development that was not adapted to this environment. Accordingly, it was emphasized to the then city engineer of the Eilat municipality that the building permits should be accompanied by a technical matter that would include guidelines for preventing damage to the coastal environment. But the municipality chose to ignore this and even include in the plan elements from which the ministry objected, and without even specifying the instructions given to the planners and contractors to prevent damage to the coastal environment, if at all.
Works near the beach
According to the ministry’s professionals, the development work is being carried out very close to the water line and in some cases even beyond it, and there have been accidents and damage to the coastal environment. It also shows that there are sections where a narrow strip of beach originally existed due to existing construction, and now an even narrower strip of beach remains, at the level of a few meters left for public use.
These are not the only works planned by the Eilat Municipality on the shoreline. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection is required to hold an extensive discussion with the Planning Director, in order to reduce the damage to the sensitive coastal environment of the Red Sea. The planning director says that “the director sees importance in the beaches in general and in the coastal strip of Eilat in particular as an open resource for the general public. The uniqueness of the beach and the sea, along with the promotion of diverse and unique tourism that meets the beaches on the one hand and the desert on the other.One of the basic principles in the document is the opening of beaches to the general public. The Eilat municipality is called upon not to promote at this stage steps that contradict the document. “
Eilat Municipality: “The works are done in accordance with the building permits issued”
The Eilat municipality claims that the works are carried out under the close supervision of the Nature and Parks Authority. The Nature and Parks Authority says that these are plans that have been approved at the local level, contrary to the authority’s position. ‘The development has become too close to the water line and there is a risk of harm to nature as a result. The authority, for its part, supervises the works in order to reduce as much as possible the risk of harm to nature. These supervisory actions have even led to the work being stopped more than once due to anomalies. ‘
The Eilat Municipality stated: “The works are being carried out in accordance with the building permits issued, after all the requirements of the licensing authorities have been met. The permits are fully in line with the construction plan which was also approved by the local committee and the city council plenum. Work in the field is carried out under strict procedures to protect the environment and prevent damage to it. The defense wall at Beach Rock has been replaced with point infrastructure for the protection of coastal structures and infrastructure. The new beach showers will be connected to the municipal sewer network to prevent flow to the sea. The lighting is adapted to the environmental requirements while minimizing the leakage of light into the marine space. The irrigation system will be controlled without the use of fertilizers.
‘The works will increase the extent of land designated for public bathing beaches and public shading along the beaches, while ensuring maximum public accessibility with and without restrictions to and along the coast, along with maritime protections on the buildings and infrastructure, carefully and professionally designed by expert engineers. To ensure their durability in future storms. This is a project that has tremendous public and municipal benefits that will lead to the good and correct development of the city of Eilat. “