MARINE WATER AND COASTS
Israel's Mediterranean and Red Sea coastlines are among the country's
most valuable environmental assets. However, the demands of a rapidly
growing population, urbanization, modern intensive agriculture, an
expanding industrial sector, recreation and tourism threaten to
compromise the quality of the marine and coastal environments.
The Mediterranean Coastline
Israel's Mediterranean coastline stretches approximately 188 km from
north to south. The coastline may be divided into high coast, where the
coastal cliff is in close proximity to the water line, and low coast,
where rivers and wadis interrupt the coastal cliff, forming broad sandy
areas. Sand is carried by the current from the Nile delta northward, and
deposited along Israel's coast. Waves cast this sediment onto the beach,
and winds carry it further inland to the coastal plain.
Wind is thus one factor affecting the coastal environment; others are
the destruction and erosion of limestone, and weathering of clay and
shale. Human activity, especially the construction of marine facilities,
has impacted the sand balance, arresting the northward movement of sand
and causing sand build-up toward the south.
Israel's population is heavily concentrated along the Mediterranean
coast. During the warm months (May to October), Israelis and tourists
crowd bathing beaches up and down the coast. About 30 kilometers of the
coast are designated as authorized bathing beaches; another 110 km are
open to the public for recreation, and include nature reserves, national
parks and archeological and historical sites. Other activities which
affect the coastal environment in the Mediterranean are the industry,
refining and commerce that take place in the ports of Haifa, Ashdod and
Ashkelon, and power generating facilities along the coast which use
Mediterranean waters for cooling. These facilities account for another
15 km of coastline. The remainder of Israel's Mediterranean coast is
closed to the public.
The Gulf of Eilat
The Gulf of Eilat, located at the northern end of the Red Sea, is the
northernmost tropical sea ecosystem. Its oxygen-rich water has a
constant temperature of 21-24C. The Gulf supports a dense population
of more than 100 species of corals, 800 species of fish, and hundreds of
species of crustaceans and molluscs in a fragile environmental
equilibrium. Eilat's coral reef was designated as a nature reserve in
1965.
Sea currents in the Gulf run counter-clockwise along the eastern shores
of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, turning westward along the northern tip of
the Gulf, then southward along the Israeli and Egyptian shores.
Prevailing winds are north-northeasterly. The climate is a typical
desert one: very low precipitation, and over 340 clear, sunny days a
year. Winter storms affect the Gulf on rare occasions.
The natural resources and the climate of the Gulf of Eilat make the area
very attractive to scientists, sport divers and tourists from all over
the world. Many hotels and resorts have been developed there.
Eilat is an important port for Israel, with a major oil terminal,
phosphate, potash and bromide export facilities, naval bases, marinas
and pleasure boats, bathing beaches, and water sports. All these
activities co-existing on a stretch of coastline of not more than 10
km place considerable stress on the delicate ecosystem of the Gulf.
Chemical pollution from port loading facilities, microbial pollution and
nutrients influx from municipal wastewater discharge, litter thrown from
vessels or left on beaches, damage to the coral reef by anchors and
sport divers, and minor oil spills from maritime activity and oil
transport in the Gulf all threaten this marine environment.
However, the most serious and immediate menace to the Gulf of Eilat is
the possibility of a major oil spill. Any spill, even a small one, would
have serious impact on coastal activities and marine life. But a medium
or large oil spill (over 200 tons), would have irreparable effects if
left untreated: the oil would drive tourists away, hamper mariculture
and impede the operation of industrial facilities along the shore;
marine life would be smothered or destroyed; and fires could break out
with devastating effects.
The extreme vulnerability and unique beauty of the Gulf of Eilat
make its protection an urgent, if challenging, task.
Marine Pollution Prevention
In recent years, Israel has made significant progress in pollution
prevention and protection of the marine environment.
The Marine and Coastal Environment Division (MCED) of the Ministry of
the Environment is the national authority responsible for all aspects of
pollution prevention and abatement: oil spills from ships or terminals,
pollution from land-based sources, dumping of waste, airborne pollution
and marine litter. It has adopted a multi-faceted working plan
consisting of legislation, enforcement, beach and shore cleanup,
international activities, and operation of a Marine Pollution Prevention
Fund. The division employs 9 inspectors, and maintains a boat, vehicles
and other equipment for monitoring and enforcement. It operates a marine
pollution control station in the Gulf of Eilat. The MCED also
distributes relevant technical material, and offers professional advice,
encouraging potential polluters to develop or purchase their own
treatment facilities.
Funds for combatting marine and coastal pollution and for cleanup
operations are generated by the Marine Pollution Fund, totalling
$700,000 in 1991. Income is derived from fees imposed on all oil
terminals and all ships calling at Israeli ports, and from fines
collected from violators of marine pollution prevention laws and
regulations. The fund represents a realization of the "polluter pays"
principle.
- Oil Spills
Dozens of reports on marine pollution by oil reach the MCED each year
(40 in 1991), involving anywhere from a few liters to a few tons of oil.
In most cases, response time is quick and treatment proceeds
efficiently. While Israel is equipped to effectively combat small and
medium-scale oil spills in the Mediterranean, the country currently
lacks the capability to respond to large-scale oil spills. For smaller
events, the strategy is to wait until the spill reaches the shore, and
to clean it there.
There has been an enormous reduction in the amount of tar along Israel's
Mediterranean beaches from 3.6 kg per meter in 1975 to less than 20
gm per meter today. The decrease is attributable to a number of factors:
improved maritime legislation and enforcement on the national level;
implementation of international agreements, including the International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) by
the majority of countries bordering the Mediterranean; better
enforcement and inspection; technical developments in fuel container
ships and coastal installations; a significant reduction in the amount
of oil being transported along Israel's coasts; and rapid action when
spills do occur. The MCED patrols the coast and coastal waterways
regularly, in order to detect environmental nuisances of all kinds.
Eilat's capacity for marine pollution control was significantly
improved, with the inauguration in 1991 of a newly expanded pollution
control and response center. This center, the single most important
contributor to pollution control in the Gulf of Eilat, is manned 24
hours a day by professional marine pollution inspectors. It serves as a
logistical base for pollution control and prevention operations. It is
located north of the coral reef, and is thus able to protect the reef by
quick deployment of containment and recovery equipment when oil spills
occur. The center, the only one of its kind in the area, is capable of
dealing with spills as large as a few hundred tons. The use of
older-type chemical dispersants is prohibited due to the ecological
sensitivity of the area.
- Dumping of Waste
The dumping of waste into the sea from a vessel or aircraft is regulated
through a strict permit system, which has resulted in only two types of
authorized dumping: the dumping of coal ash by the Israel Electric
Corporation, and of industrial sludge by Haifa Chemicals. Even when
permitted, dumping must comply with detailed regulations specifying the
maximum level of heavy metals in the residue, the distance from shore,
the sea depth and rate of sedimentation at the dumping site, and the
type of vessel used to transport the waste, as well as the
implementation of a monitoring program around the dumping site. This
permit system, which came into effect in 1984, imposes penalties for
unauthorized dumping.
- Land-Based Sources
Major progress has also been made in the prevention of pollution from
land-based sources, including domestic and industrial waste,
agricultural runoff, and river discharges. Regulations entered into
force in 1990 which prohibit the discharge of any waste or wastewater
into the sea without a permit. In the last few years, an
interministerial committee has reviewed requests for temporary permits
from some twenty major land-based sources along the Mediterranean coast.
Previously, wastewater discharge along the coast had been widespread;
today only in two small communities in the north is sewage still
discharged regularly into the sea, in accordance with a temporary permit
issued pending the construction of suitable sewage plants.
Significant improvement has also occurred in the level of microbial
pollution along the coast as a result of the successful operation of
advanced sewage treatment plants. Moreover, much of Israel's wastewater
is now diverted for reuse after treatment.
Chemical pollution deriving from industrial effluents, port chemical
terminals and ships transporting chemicals is carefully controlled.
Significant reductions in the quantities of treated or partially treated
industrial effluents reaching the sea have occurred since the 1990
regulations came into force. Handling procedures for chemicals shipped
to and from Israel are designed to ensure maximum safety to the
environment, thus preventing many chemical spill incidents from
occurring. Furthermore, all tank washing activities are carried out
according to regulations issued by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) and no significant pollution from this source is
expected.
- Litter
Pollution of coastal areas is also caused by solid litter (plastic bags,
packaging material, bottles and plants). Twenty to thirty percent of
this washes up from the sea; the rest is left behind on beaches by
tourists and bathers. Local authorities are responsible for cleaning the
bathing beaches. Special public cleanup campaigns are carried out twice
each summer.
Legal Framework for Marine Water Protection
Laws enacted to implement the relevant international conventions and
national environmental policy include:
* The Prevention of Sea Water Pollution by Oil Ordinance (New
Version, 1980) forbids the discharge of oil or oily substances
into territorial and inland waters from any shore installation
or vessel, and makes any such discharge a criminal offense.
Under the law, inspectors with police powers are appointed;
* The Prevention of Sea Pollution (Dumping of Waste) Law of 1983
requires that any dumping at sea by vessels and aircraft must
be specially authorized by a committee headed by the director
general of the Ministry of the Environment. Regulations
contain a list of substances that may not be dumped under any
circumstances, and describe the conditions for the issue of
permits;
* The Prevention of Sea Pollution (Land-Based Sources) Law of
1988 forbids the discharge of any waste or wastewater into the
sea or along the shore without a permit. Regulations under
this law list types of waste for which a permit may not be
granted. Where a permit is granted by a specially authorized
permits committee, the law requires that the recipient report
on the type and quantities of waste discharged. Contravention
of the law constitutes a criminal offense;
* The Ports Authority Law of 1961 and the Ports Ordinance (New
Version) of 1971 provide for the operation and management of
ports in Israel. Regulations promulgated under these laws
cover environmental matters like the collection of waste,
bilge and ballast water from vessels;
* The Bathing Places Law of 1964, permits local authorities to
formulate by-laws for maintaining the cleanliness of beaches.
It empowers the Minister of the Interior, in consultation with
the Minister of Health, to close bathing beaches for the
protection of bathers.
Regional Cooperation
Israel is an active participant in the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP),
which provides an important forum for regional environmental activities.
The Plan was adopted in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations
Environment Program, and is widely acclaimed as a model of international
cooperation. Israel has signed and ratified the Convention for the
Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, and its four
Protocols.
The planning component of MAP has two parts. The first is called the
Blue Plan. In the initial stages, water resources, industrial growth,
energy, health, population, land-use, tourism, economic relations in the
region, transportation, communications, culture and environmental
awareness were studied. Within the context of the Blue Plan, Israel
prepared a national environmental scenario, analyzing current trends and
predicting environmental conditions for the years 2000 and 2025. The
final report of the Blue Plan, a synthesis of all the studies, was
presented in 1988.
The second part of MAP's planning component is the Priority Actions
Program (PAP), which involves concrete development projects which place
high priority on the environment, and are expected to yield immediate
results. Israel has been an active partner in nearly all priority areas,
and is contributing its expertise and experience to the program.
Monitoring and research are conducted through another arm of MAP called
MEDPOL. Projects in the first phase of MEDPOL involved over 200
scientific groups from 84 institutions in 16 different countries. Israel
was one of the first Mediterranean states to sign a long-term national
monitoring agreement within the framework of MEDPOL, which requires
annual microbial and geochemical surveys. Microbial data includes the
detection viruses, faecal coliforms and other disease-bearing microbes
in bathing water. The geochemical survey analyzes the concentration of
heavy metal both in sea water and sediments, and the presence of mercury
in various organisms in coastal waters. These surveys have shown that
the level of pollution along the Israeli coastline is relatively low
compared to industrialized countries in Europe. Haifa Bay, where higher
concentrations of mercury and cadmium were detected, is the exception.
However, all Israeli coastal waters meet international standards for
chemical and bacterial pollution.
Israel's research institutes take an active part in the research
component of MEDPOL as well. This program is designed to provide a
better understanding of the processes and phenomena involved in the
complex mechanisms of pollution. Many of the research proposals
presented by Israel (in 1991, 12 proposals were submitted) are approved.
Recent projects cover a range of subjects, including bioaccumulation of
heavy metals in marine organism organs (studied by x-ray microanalysis);
the development of remote sensing methods for monitoring coastal water
pollution; trace metal distribution along coastal rivers and estuaries;
detection of pathogenic fungi on Israeli beaches; simulation of
circulation and pollutants migration in the eastern Mediterranean;
plankton bloom and jellyfish swarming; and correlation between bacterial
indicators and potential fungi in sea water.
Through MAP and other institutions, Israel will continue participating
in cooperative international efforts to safeguard the marine environment
for present and future generations.