Zalul-Israel Environmental Association, Inc.

Programs: Cleaning the Kishon River ? Since 2001, five factories have been legally permitted to produce 10,000 cubic meters of dangerous sewage each day and release it into the Kishon River which runs through Israel's northern city of Haifa. After mounting a high-profile campaign, Zalul persuaded local and national leaders to make the issue a high priority ? only for the Ministry of the Environment to devise an alternative plan to send the untreated sewage through a pipeline to the sea just two kilometers away from a popular bathing area. Now Zalul has undertaken a new battle, this time to demand that the factories clean up their waste before releasing it anywhere. Zalul invited a leading expert in sewage treatment to visit and assist in devising alternative solutions to the pipeline by using the best available technology and is awaiting the release of the report before mounting another campaign to keep Haifa's residents safe from the toxic pollutants that tarnish their water resources.Protecting the Lachish River ? "Don't Say Kaddish for the Lachish" is Zalul's slogan for the campaign to save the Lachish River running between the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. After an in-depth study was undertaken to determine the pollution sources and the variety of pollutants, a major public campaign was begun with wide-media coverage. Pressure from the public has led to the involvement of the Mayor of Ashdod and the Ministry of the Environment in the creation of the Lachish Committee, headed by the Mayor and responsible for the river's rehabilitation ? since it's creation, the Mayor of Ashdod has now pledged to completely eliminate all pollution of the river by the municipality by summer 2008. Zalul also filed a police report for sewage spillage and sent numerous letters to relevant individuals, leading to the resolution of one of the most problematic sources of pollution ? the Timurim Sewage Treatment Facility. This facility, while brand new, was not in operation for nearly 2 years. As a result of Zalul's activities, it is now working, treating the sewage of the nearby areas instead of letting it spill into the river. Zalul is continuing to fight for the Lachish River on legislative, legal, public, and media-related fronts.Protecting Israel's Mediterranean from Land-Based Pollution ? According to the Sea Report published by Zalul in 2006, 80 factories and municipalities have a permit to legally spill their sewage into the sea. Besides the permitted sewage that is spilled, a substantial amount of untreated sewage is spilled into the sea illegally due to poor enforcement and lack of ramifications for the offenders. This campaign intends to substantially reduce the flow of pollution from these sources over a three-year period. Methods for achieving this goal include: Mapping pollution "hot spots" from which to generate a strategic blueprint (you can view this online in Hebrew here: http://www.zalul.org.il/zmap/default.htm), targeting the problematic Permit Committee policy that is responsible for allowing a growing number of polluters to legally pollute, and creating a large network of activists to help monitor sea conditions, among others.