Industrial pollution / We don't have to put up with it

The industrial zone at Ramat Hovav in the Negev has been the subject of many newspaper articles on pollution in the region and protocol violations. The compound houses the facilities of international petrochemical firms that manage to qualm the fears of Dutch, Danish and German communities near similar complexes in Europe.

Ramat Hovav, by contrast, is repeatedly giving its neighbors cause for concern.

European chemical plants use the same production and treatment methods as their Israeli counterparts. They use the same raw materials and make much the same products. Malfunctions occur there, but not as often. They do not emit chronic pollution and noxious smells. European chemical plants often border on luxury neighborhoods, where homeowners have no special reason to worry.

In the past two years, industrialists have repeatedly claimed that all the major plants in Israel, including the ones at Ramat Hovav and near Haifa, meet all the European Union's stringent environmental requirements. The Ramat Hovav Regional Council notes that efforts are underway to upgrade emission-reducing facilities. According to the council, incidents with regional repercussions (as opposed to "local effects") are less common than before.

Indeed, the industrial zone and the chemical waste dump site next door have seen significant investments in pollution management facilities. But the environmental situation is not yet satisfactory; it requires further action to treat liquid waste and gas emissions. As for accidents - such as the one that occurred yesterday at a Makhteshim Agan chemical plant - they can be reduced if factories meet the requirements of the Avnimelech Committee, headed by a former chief scientist at the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Addressing the pollution caused by chemical plants near Haifa, the committee concluded that "it must be established that accidents don't just happen. They are the result of mismanagement or neglect. All over the world, industrial plants are operating near densly populated areas. This is made possible through the plants' strict adherence to a policy designed to reduce the occurrence of accidents to the absolute minimum achievable."