Toxic wastewater that surged through a dry riverbed in southern Israel at the weekend left a wake of ecological destruction more than 20km (12 miles) long, which experts say will probably take years to overcome.
The flood began on June 30 when the 60m high wall of a reservoir at a phosphate factory partially collapsed, letting loose 100,000 cubic metres (26.4 million gallons) of highly acidic wastewater in the Ashalim riverbed.
The toxic torrent snaked through the desert, singeing anything in its path, before collecting again hours later in a pool several kilometres from the Dead Sea, and even days later, the ground is still stained a dark brown and giving off a nauseating acidic stench.
Israel’s Ministry of Environment has opened a criminal investigation into the plant’s owner, Rotem Amfert, and its parent company Israel Chemicals (ICL), a leading potash and fertiliser producer with exclusive rights in Israel to mine the Dead Sea.
The company declined to answer questions on the criminal investigation or about the impact the incident would have on its operations.
Shares in ICL fell almost four per cent after the spill but partially recovered to trade 1.3 percent higher on Tuesday.
In a statement, Rotem Amfert said it was working “around the clock” in full coordination with authorities, and it would spare no resources to clean up the riverbed.
Reuters
