Environmental activists trying to preserve flora and fauna in the region of the Yarkon river have written to Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and demanded that he prohibit boating on the river due to possible public health hazards from the contaminated waters in the river.
Motty Almaliah, a member of the action committee named The Yarkon Neighbors, said that "the public thinks it is coming to spend time in nature and sail on the Yarkon river, when it is effectively swimming in the sewage of the Dan region. We demand that the health minister prohibit boating on the river until it is purified."
Almaliah added that "we in the action committee call on all relevant officials to stop the polluting of the river immediately so that we can go back to enjoying the time spent on the river."
The activists said in their letter to the minister that they had tracked e-coli fecal bacteria taken from the river and discovered that the number of bacteria in 100 ml of water is 8 times the permitted amount for boating and 155 times the permitted amount for sewage disposal in waterways.
At one of the most popular boating spots, Wokup Bridge, there were an average of 31000 e-coli bacteria in 100 ml of water, while the permitted amount for boating is 4000 and for sewage disposal 200 per 100 ml.
Almaliah added that "if heaven forfend, people will fall in the water they could get sick and it could even be fatal for them. Mention should be made of the unfortunate Maccabiah accident when five sportsmen fell in the river and some died because of the pollution in the river. This led to the decision to purify the river."