The Huleh Valley in the northern Galilee - the area of the former Lake Huleh - is one the most air-polluted areas in the country. This was reported yesterday at an Environment Ministry conference in the north. Local farmers continuously burn tons of unneeded branches, while the air in the valley is not easily replaced. The regional council is beginning to encourage the farmers to crush the branches instead of burning them. Legislation is also being considered.
The unusable marshy area, just west of and below the Golan Heights, was drained in the 1950\'s and turned into high-quality agricultural land. The story began in 1951, when the Jewish National Fund began its most ambitious land reclamation program in and around the 5-square-mile Lake Huleh. The lake was surrounded by 68 square miles of malaria-infested swamps, and it was decided to drain Lake Huleh and the swamp by rechanneling the water into carp ponds. The northern and southern ends of the lake were blasted open, creating deep channels that allowed the water to run easily into the Jordan River. By 1958 the job was completed, and the newly created Huleh Valley yielded over 20,000 acres of extremely fertile land.
The unusable marshy area, just west of and below the Golan Heights, was drained in the 1950\'s and turned into high-quality agricultural land. The story began in 1951, when the Jewish National Fund began its most ambitious land reclamation program in and around the 5-square-mile Lake Huleh. The lake was surrounded by 68 square miles of malaria-infested swamps, and it was decided to drain Lake Huleh and the swamp by rechanneling the water into carp ponds. The northern and southern ends of the lake were blasted open, creating deep channels that allowed the water to run easily into the Jordan River. By 1958 the job was completed, and the newly created Huleh Valley yielded over 20,000 acres of extremely fertile land.