A chance for a cleaner environment

Barring any legal delays, the Defense Ministry will begin work soon on the construction of a new, massive training complex near the Ramat Hovav industrial zone. Environmental organizations maintain that this is tantamount to a redux of the a Kishon-type disaster because of soldiers' possible exposure to hazardous materials from Ramat Hovav. However, with proper planning and continuous public oversight, the building of the complex can contribute to preserving the environment and further the development of the Negev.

The Ramat Hovav industrial zone has been for years the source of serious health and environmental hazards; a military base was evacuated from the area because of the disturbing smell. The factories posed a danger to the Bedouin and Be'er Sheva residents, who still suffer from the bad smell and are worried every time there is a malfunction in one of the industrial plants.

A debate exists among various parties on the extent of the area's health hazards. There have been many improvements in dealing with problems like the odor, treatment of effluents and preventing air pollution, but not all the problems have been solved.

Nonetheless, there is no dispute that the plan for the construction of a training complex has expedited the treatment of Ramat Hovav's environmental problems. There has been pressure from the Environment Ministry on the factories, and from the Defense Ministry, which recognized that it cannot allow itself to populate the base with thousands of soldiers who may have to be evacuated if the stink from the industrial plants becomes an unbearable nuisance.

Since it might be very difficult to convince the Defense Ministry to scrap the project, in which a great deal of money has been invested and which the military considers important, the environmental groups and all the authorized medical parties must concentrate on strict supervision of the factories and stick to their demand to hold tests and research the hazards and levels of disease in the area.

The populating of the base should be conditioned on environmental standards being met; mainly by diminishing pollution and the foul odors by more than 90 percent. This will genuinely improve the environment and will benefit not only the army but also the area's residents and economic development, which has been undermined from the stigma of suffering from environmental hazards and ugly odors.

In this matter the Defense Ministry must show greater transparency and not demonstrate the secrecy of earlier discussions in the committee for planning defense-related buildings, whose deliberations are classified. This is not a secret project, and it has great significance to civilians as well. The public is bothered not by what will take place inside the military base, but by the questions of how to deal with existing hazards outside the planned complex.

The process of building the big training base must also provide a solution to the serious distress of the Bedouin village Wadi Na'am, which is near Ramat Hovav. It is important to reach an agreement with the Bedouin on an alternative housing solution, where they can live in permanent dwellings without having to worry about their health.