The writing was on the wall but ai. si. Al (formerly ICL) received relief and nature was harmed: Last Thursday, the authorities received an alarming report of thousands of cubic meters of salt water flowing from the company’s canal directly into an area called “Nahal Tselim fan” – one of the most important ecosystems left in the Judean Desert.
Despite this, only this morning (Monday) did the company stop the flow through the leaking section of the canal, without any factor instructing it to do so. The canal in which the fault occurred – was approved by the National Infrastructure Committee, which complied with ICL’s requirement not to force the canal to be sealed, contrary to the requirements of environmentalists. Authorities do not know how long the leak occurred before it was detected and reported, and whether the saline flowed into the wild for months, when rare natural values were already observed in the area.
The leak in the Tze’elim fan area / Photo: Nature and Parks Authority
The source of the leak to nature has not yet been determined, but it is estimated that this is an engineering failure related to the initial sealing of the canal. Now that the damage to nature has indeed occurred, and the authorities are still having a hard time assessing its intensity, there may be no escape from sealing the canal as environmentalists demanded in the first place.
The Nahal Tselim fan is an unusual area in the wild landscape of the Judean Desert. Drift fans are a phenomenon of ecological importance that can not be underestimated, especially in the age of climate change. In the Tze’elim fan located in the water flow channel, the plants and trees that provide food and hiding and nesting sites for rare desert animals grow and they are habitats with exceptional sensitivity.
Four months ago, it began operating in the area of an ICL canal, which aims to transport Dead Sea water to ICL’s plants and allow the company to make commercial use of it – removing the salts, and flowing the water back to the sea. This, after the previous area where ICL’s pumping station stood was exhausted and dried up.
The planning of the new canal was entrusted to the National Infrastructure Committee (WATL). The economic pressure to continue pumping water for ICL’s activities in the Dead Sea as soon as possible and in a plan that will not delay the company’s activities, and decided to approve the construction of a non-sealed canal.
Instead, it was decided to settle for a monitoring program that would examine the condition of the fan during industrial activity and offer ways to prevent damage to nature and repair if necessary. Now that the damage to nature has indeed occurred, and the authorities are still having a hard time assessing its intensity, there may be no escape from sealing the canal as environmentalists demanded in the first place.
Why did the authorities not order an immediate closure of the hazard?
Over the past few days, ICL has consulted with the Dutch engineering company that designed the canal, shutting down 2 of 5 pumps, so that the flow was reduced by 40% but not completely stopped immediately, despite the damage caused to nature. After not seeing a significant improvement in the field, this morning the company decided to disable the additional pumps as well. This, without any factor ordering the company to stop the flow immediately upon learning of the malfunction on Thursday, despite the ecological sensitivity in the area.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection claims that they acted quickly. According to Amir Salzberg, director of the Southern District at the ministry, “At this stage we are more in the discourse, and soon we will issue written demands. I was convinced that was the right way to act. “
Despite this, none of the parties involved – the Water Authority and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, provided an answer to the question – why with the authorities updating on the hazard, they did not order the plant to immediately suspend the activity causing the natural pollution.
This is when professionals also explain that the only way to treat the hazard is to dry the canal – a process that will take several days.
In fact, the state authorities are still investigating who is responsible for handling the matter and legal instructions with ICL. However, since the date of ICL’s announcement to the authorities, all the legal inspections due to the weekend and holiday surfing have not been completed, and these are still ongoing.
Great importance for thorough treatment of leaks
Inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority arrived in the area on Friday morning to investigate the leak. An initial inspection revealed that the flood due to a fault in ICL exists across most of the fan area (it is possible that the leak has been going on for a long time, without being detected). The leaks appear to have caused damage to the vegetation as a result of the salinization of the soil – since in the area in question, no salt water is supposed to flow, which could wreak havoc on it as they do not meet the needs of the habitat.
At this stage, it does not appear that the contamination of the area with saline water by ICL caused a significant soil erosion, but mortality of vegetation down the leak was seen, some of which are defined as protected natural values. Traces of deer, rabbits, hyenas, foxes and rodents were also observed in the area of the leak, as it is a bustling natural habitat.
In the long run, the flow of salt water in the channels will cause them to be salted, and to destroy the fan that will cease its ecological function, as this is a habitat based on vegetation and animals that rely on the natural growing conditions of the place.
In the field, thorough treatment of leaks is of great importance. Currently, most of the alluvial fans in the Dead Sea area are damaged due to human and industrial activity that has led to declining Dead Sea levels and climate change. The Nahal Tselim fan, however, is the largest and most important of the fans, as to this day it has remained intact, maintaining a wealth of flora and fauna, while maintaining an important ecological corridor. The vegetation in the alluvial fans is very sensitive to changes in the flow regime, and any slight change in the fan structure can drastically change the dispersal of the plant and the variety of its species.
The Dead Sea, considered one of the wonders of the world, is disappearing. Every year the sea level drops by 1.2 meters, and its total area has dropped by 50% since the 1970s. The decline in the level of the Dead Sea in recent decades has been accompanied by dramatic changes along the shores of both terrestrial and marine environments.
Dead Sea factories contribute to about 25% of the drop in the level of the northern basin water, while the southern basin is currently only industrial evaporation ponds. The drop in the level causes the formation of sinkholes, the stagnation of streams, damage to springs and habitats, damage to infrastructure and the abandonment of agricultural areas and bathing beaches.
Over the years, the Dead Sea factories have carried out quarrying work in river channels in the area, in order to raise the earthen embankments around the pools, which has created many landscape damages that have not been restored to date. In addition, they emit about a million tons of various pollutants into the air each year, whose external cost is estimated at NIS 240 million.
ICL is the largest company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, after the prices of resources it mines from nature in Israel soared in the past year, and markets to the local and global arena. Despite this, the Dead Sea factories do not pay a quarrying levy on materials in their territory, or a production levy for pumping tens of millions of cubic meters of brackish water. While ICL’s profitability is at its peak, seven years after the adoption of the conclusions of the Shishinsky Commission 2 regarding the taxation of natural resources, the state coffers do not enjoy the company’s profits from mining bromine, phosphate and potash.
Last week, the Knesset debated the end of ICL’s concession, in 2030. The Ministry of Finance is formulating a new tender for the concession, but ICL has a built-in priority that is given a “right of refusal” by the regulator, so if another company offers a better bid in the tender, ICL can compare Her bid in retrospect and win the tender. Despite the industry’s direct responsibility for some of the decline in the Dead Sea level, the Ministry of Finance does not express a willingness to include environmental conditions in the tender for the new concession, primarily the stabilization of the declining sea level.
The National Infrastructure Committee stated in response that “Telel 35A was approved according to the usual planning procedures, after extensive work at the end of which an alternative was chosen from those presented at the beginning of the planning process. This alternative was chosen, among other things, for environmental considerations. One of the best companies in the world, with a reputation and specialization in this type of work (we emphasize that the company was hired by ICL – SA).
“Contrary to the allegations, the developer was not given excessive relief on these issues. Following a concern raised by RTG, ICL set up a monitoring system according to a plan agreed between the two bodies and for this purpose regular meetings were held for ongoing monitoring and control. The UTL team was informed that pumping had been stopped and expedited operations were being carried out to empty the canal, and that within a week ICL should present possible solutions to the problem, including the restoration of the area.
ICL responded that “upon initial identification of the case, it was immediately reported to the authorities in accordance with procedures. We emphasize that the company meets all the relevant conditions and approvals and examines in full transparency with the authorities the reasons The discharge in the relevant part of the canal, while examining actions to prevent the recurrence of the phenomenon. “
The Water Authority stated that “ICL’s production license determines the annual production volume, and also includes the expectation of leaks returning to the Dead Sea and therefore do not affect the balance. As long as they operate within this framework, we do not monitor beyond that, and they do not have to report to us.”