The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Monday the opening of a criminal investigation against the directors of Rotem Amfert and parent company Israel Chemicals due to the pollution of Nahal Ashalim last Friday. The announcement followed a hearing involving the company's management.
Acid waste from a reservoir leaked into the stream bed. The Nature and National Parks Authority said on Sunday that the Nahal Ashalim Nature Reserve will be closed for at least a year and that it will cost tens of millions of shekels to rehabilitate the area.