Mayor Yechiel Lasri of Ashdod, wears a Zalul campaign sticker, at a press conference at the Lachish River.

Zalul is tremendously proud to announce to a major success in the campaign to save the Lachish River.

After three years of campaigning by Zalul in the city of Ashdod to rescue the Lachish Zalul stood alongside the Mayor of Ashdod, Dr. Yechiel Lasri, at a press conference on July 6, 2009, to announce the opening of the river to water recreation.

Three years ago, Zalul had a vision for a pollution-free Lachish River, believing that we could bring it back to life within three years.  In September 2006, Zalul began a public campaign to rescue the Lachish River after years of severe pollution.  The main pollution sources were industrial waste water from the Ashdod industrial zone, wastewater from the municipal sewer system, and wastewater from other settlements in the region.

As part of the campaign, Zalul demanded that former Ashdod Mayor Zvi Zilker, put an immediate stop to the polluting of the river and assist with its rehabilitation.  After a major public campaign in the city building up to the municipal election by Zalul and the election of Dr. Lasri as Mayor of Ashdod, along with members of the Ashdod Environmental Forum to city council, conditions were ripe for real and permanent change to the river.

After a long discussion with the mayor and city council members, regulatory agencies, and Zalul, the city of Ashdod promised to fully enforce policy against those who tried to pollute the Lachish River – specifically focusing on the industrial area.  The city promised to upgrade the sewage infrastructure, emphasizing the drainage system.  Lastly, they agreed that the issue of opening the river for boating and other water recreation would be done in partnership with the Ministry of Health, in order to ensure public health.

Zalul's Assistant Director, Ezer Fischler (L), kayaks in the Lachish River for the first time in decades with Adi Ben-Lish (R), Director of Park Lachish in Ashdod.

At the press conference on Monday, July 6, 2009 Mayor Lasri of Ashdod announced that due to the tremendous improvement in water quality the river would be opened officially in mid-August after a trial period.  Zalul was a partner in the press conference and approved the improvement in the water quality, but made sure to list our own demands for safety and water quality, to which the City of Ashdod agreed.

Mayor Lasri, speaking at the conference, said “I have zero tolerance for pollution of the river and will close any factory that pollutes the Lachish.”  Zalul is very proud of the change in the Ashdod leadership that is helping bring about this change in the river.  The Lachish River will now be a central part of the city and a major public attraction and place of enjoyment for residents.

Zalul will continue to follow developments along the length of the river to ensure its rehabilitation process as well as continuing work upstream from Ashdod.  For now, you’ll be able to find us kayaking in the Lachish!
Zalul wishes to thank the Green Environment Fund for their generous support of our Lachish River campaign for the past three years.

Zalul protests pollution in the Lachish River by letting Ashdod residents imagine a river safe for sailing.

Which rivers in Israel are safe to swim in?

Only the Northern Jordan River is currently safe for both swimming and other water sports.

The Yarkon River in Tel Aviv is the only river that is open for water sports such as kayaking, rowing, and sailing.

All other rivers in Israel are closed due to pollution.

You can help Zalul clean up Israel’s rivers by donating safely and securely on Zalul’s website today.

Have more questions about the rivers, seas, or beaches in Israel?

Check out the full FAQ section on Zalul’s website by clicking on the link below:

Frequently Asked Questions

Lachish River, Naaman River, and Sorek River

In conjunction with the campaign launch, Zalul has released a report on the management failure of the water resources of Israel’s rivers.

The report states that every year between 48-72 million shekels in sewage fees are redirected by local authorities for other projects. The final result is severely polluted rivers and a loss of over $90 million a year.

The pollution that affects Israel’s rivers is a result of years of neglect by the Israeli government – both national ministries and local authorities. It is a failure brought about by a limited world view, the perception that Israel had an inexhaustible amount of water resources, and the notion that rivers were meant to be used as sewage canals – while disregarding their important place in the natural ecosystem and their hidden potential to become waterways for sport and recreation.

This world view which puts the interests of polluters above the interests of the public has brought about the exploitation of Israel’s precious water resources, the death of animals and plant life, and has denied the public the right to enjoy them. Israel’s rivers are now hidden in the country’s backyard – ugly and abandoned.

The majority of Israel’s rivers are characterized by high levels of pollution and very low water flow. Out of the 1.2 billion cubic meters (317 billion gallons) of water that flows through the rivers each year, over 180 million cubic meters (47.5 billion gallons) is wastewater and leftovers from fish farms that pollute both the rivers and ground water.

For the last 60 years, local authorities have been discharging over 158 million cubic meters (41.7 billion gallons) of wastewater into the rivers and the Mediterranean Sea each year. In August 2000 the government decided to return clean water to the nation’s rivers by 2010, however the date was soon postponed to 2015 – a death sentence to the already suffering rivers.

The goal of Zalul’s campaign, “Returning Life to Our Rivers,” is to take action and change the world view of both local and national leaders and push them to truly change the situation of Israel’s rivers. In 2009, Zalul will focus its efforts on five rivers across Israel: The Southern Jordan (including the Herod River), the Na’aman-Hilazon watershed, the Kishon River, the Sorek River, and the Lachish River. The ultimate goal is to return these rivers to the Israeli public by making them safe to enjoy once again.

Zalul’s campaign objectives include:

· Appoint an environmental organization representative to the Water Authority Council

· Revoke the government decision to delay the return of water to rivers in 2015 and, in exchange, return water to the rivers as the development of desalination facilities progresses

· Increase enforcement against those who pollute rivers and water resources

· Implement a watershed-focused management policy

· Discontinue the discharge of wastewater from fish farms and textile factories to rivers

On May 17, 2009, Zalul sent letters to Israel’s Minister of the Environment – MK Gilad Erdan; Minister of Infrastructure – MK Uzi Landau; Minister of Agriculture – MK Shalom Simhon; and to the Director of the Water Authority – Professor Uri Shani, informing them of the campaign, citing the aforementioned information, and requesting their cooperation in this urgent manner.

Said Ezer Fischler, Assistant Director of Zalul, “In recent years, the rivers of Israel have been stolen from the public to be used by local authorities as their own private sewage canals. These policies of the Israeli government make absolutely no sense and have led to the public losing all trust in the safety of their local rivers.”

“These policies cannot continue to exist, particularly at a time when Israel is facing such a serious water crisis. The country is losing millions of shekels a year while the public’s health suffers. Zalul is determined to work with the system and the public to change this behavior and world view.”

Zalul has been receiving a lot of attention in the press due to the new campaign!

Make sure to check out the article in the Jerusalem Post:

Zalul launches nationwide campaign urging the rehabilitation of streams

Ezer Fischler, Zalul's National Campaign Director, is interviewed by Danny Kushmaro of Channel 2 News

It was a gorgeous day and everyone was in a fabulous mood!

Zalul partnered with Billabong to hold a public beach clean up that also included over 50 high school students from the NFTY High School in Israel program.

Together we collected over 150 bags full of garbage from the beach where the Lachish River meets the sea as well as the southern beach of Ashdod near the ruins of Metzuda.

Billabong rewarded the high school students with stickers and sports bags for their hard work.

We all had a great time! Thanks to everyone for all your hard work!

Join us this Friday for a beach clean-up in Ashdod!

We’ll provide the plastic bags, gloves (for the really icky stuff), and prizes for all!

All you need to bring is water, sunscreen and a hat, and your amazing enthusiasm!

We can’t wait to see you there!