The oil pipeline that was fractured last Thursday, 12 Kislev released over 3 million liters of the toxic substance in the Aravah region. Residents in Israel and Jordan were hospitalized after complaining of respiratory problems following the pipeline leak. It appears careless construction workers caused the break in the Trans-Israel pipeline, which carries oil between the Mediterranean and Red seas, running from Eilat to Ashkelon. Some experts are calling it an unprecedented environmental disaster in Israel, citing the contamination of the area will be present for decades to come.

Environmental experts that have been working to clean up and contain the damage are signaling that thundershowers and intermittent rainfall expected throughout the country on Tuesday 17 Kislev are likely to transport the fuel to the Gulf of Eilat, which would exponentially expand the scope of the ecological disaster. Actually, in some areas, the rainfall may arrive earlier, during the night.

Tractors have been working since the weekend to cover the spilled oil with sand and dirt to prevent it from spreading when the storm hits. However, despite around-the-clock efforts, they will not have achieved enough damage control before the rainfall begins. The experts explain area flooding will simply wash the oil into the Gulf of Eilat and there is little that can be done to prevent this based on the expected heavy rains. Professor Yossi Leviya, and environmental expert, told Channel 10 News that the properties of the crude oil are such that the toxic substance will penetrate deep into the ground and will not break apart for many years. He warns that the wildlife and nature existing in that area are the equivalent of S. America’s rain forests for Israel; and the destruction that may result from the storm cannot be measured just by the visible damage, but one must realize the regional ecosystem may be severely compromised as a result.

Trenches are being dug on Monday evening and substances with properties of high absorption are being spread in the area in the hope of minimizing the damage that will result when the storm gets underway.

Under heavy criticism for the accident caused by maintenance workers, officials insist their quick response prevented a far worse environmental disaster. Initial reports do not back this claim as it appears the first attempt to stop the leak failed to close the valve entirely. Environmental Affairs Ministry officials on Sunday 15 Kislev announced that the spill was 60% more serious than was first believed, confirming that 3 million liters of oiled leaked out before the pipeline could be shut down.

The Office of the State Comptroller has launched an investigation into the environmental hazard based on updated reporting that as much as 5 million liters of crude oil leaked out. At present, all eyes are on the expected rains as the experts explain they are all but helpless to prevent significant additional environmental damage from the pipeline accident.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)