Negev Seminar on Air Pollution

November 16, 2008

Thirteen members of the Coalition for a Healthy Environment in Ramat Hovav met for a daylong seminar on air pollution at SHATIL's Be'er Sheva office on November 12. They were joined by the Committee on the Environment of the Ramat Hovav Regional Council and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

Ramat Hovav is an industrial zone that serves as a site for chemical plants as well as the national hazardous waste dump. The SHATIL-led Coalition has been fighting air pollution and other serious environmental hazards caused by the plants and the dump. Located just 10 kilometers from Be'er Sheva and adjoining the unrecognized Bedouin village of Wadi el Na'am, the industrial zone has no warning, protection or evacuation system in place for the village in case of an accident – and unfortunately serious accidents have occurred.

In August 2007, an explosion at a chemical plant in Ramat Hovav let a potentially lethal insecticide into the atmosphere, injuring nine workers. Thousands of Negev residents were exposed to the toxic substance. A subsequent SHATIL report exposed the fact that the 5,000 residents of Wadi el Na'am received no notification of the accident and no instructions on measures to prevent illness or fatalities.

After deciding that its work would focus on air pollution, the Coalition asked SHATIL to organize a study day to better educate itself on the issues and methods of achieving its goals. Experts led sessions on the current situation, relevant laws and regulations and their implementation (or lack thereof) and other related topics. The coordinator of public activities of the SHATIL-founded (and now independent) northern-based Coalition for Public Health shared his experiences and examined collaboration options. 

Coalition members decided to focus their efforts for the coming year on ensuring that government regulations are both effective and implemented. They also identified several collaboration possibilities with the non- Coalition members who attended the seminar.