Last update - 00:00 22/07/2007
Interior Min. closes 2 Kinneret beaches after polluted water found
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
In the second such discovery this week, Health Ministry inspectors discovered contaminated water off of two of Lake Kinneret's beaches on Tuesday.
The officials found an irregularly large amount of fecal colliform bacteria in water off the "Ganei Hemat" and "Sironit" beaches, south of Tiberias.
Following the discovery, the Health Ministry warned the public against bathing in the waters, after which the Interior Minstry announced it would close the beaches to bathers. The source of the contamination is not known.
On, Sunday, the Health Ministry closed two Lake Kinneret beaches for swimming, after the Tiberias municipality pumped sewage into the area.
A malfunction at the city's pumping station caused sewage to flow into the lake for what the ministry says was roughly one hour, polluting the two beaches.
This was the second time in recent months that the city's sewage has flowed into the lake and polluted nearby beaches. The Health Ministry's national environmental health supervisor, Ze'ev Fisch, said Sunday morning that while only a small amount of sewage leaked into the lake, the beaches were closed pending laboratory test results expected Monday.
Fisch called on the Tiberias municipality and other local authorities in the area to conduct ongoing and intensive maintenance of their sewage systems due to the repeated instances of sewage leaking into the lake.
"There have been two instances during a relatively short period of time," said Fisch. "The Kinneret is important not just for swimming and fun, but also as a water source."
According to Fisch, authorities must establish a protective system that will prevent such leaks from reoccurring.