State Comptroller: Despite the sinkholes, no standard has been set for construction in the Dead Sea area

This is according to the annual report No. 59 B published today by the State Comptroller. The report dealt with several environmental issues and we will present them in a series of articles * First article in the series

The reasons for the drop in the level of the Dead Sea are the diversion of the sources of the Jordan by the State of Israel and by its neighbors, the diversion of water vapors that previously drained into the Dead Sea and the use of its waters for the needs of the chemical industry.

In 2003, the government decided to establish a professional team to examine options for dealing with the drop in the level of the Dead Sea. The team was tasked with formulating a policy document on the future of the sea and its environment. The team submitted a final report in June 2006, but contrary to what was stated in the government's decision, it only examined the possibility that no actions would be taken to change the existing situation. The government has not established a policy regarding the continuation of development in the Dead Sea region.

An engineering team appointed by the Ministry of National Infrastructures to provide practical recommendations regarding technical-engineering methods of action in risk areas for the formation of sinkholes stopped working without completing its duties. At the time of the end of the audit, an Israeli standard for planning and construction in the Dead Sea area had not yet been determined, especially in the area prone to sinkholes, and no relevant government body had initiated the preparation of engineering standards and tools for construction. Therefore, it is very difficult for the various planning institutions to decide on the granting of construction permits, if and when this or that area should be closed due to a sinkhole opening in it, and if and how an existing structure in the sinkhole area should be protected.

In March 2007, the government decided to entrust the Ministry of Tourism with the handling of all issues concerning the Dead Sea region, including the drop in the level, the sinkhole phenomenon and the protection of the hotels in the Ein Bokek and Neve Zohar area from flooding. Until the end of the audit, about a year and a half after the government's decision, the actions taken by the Ministry of Tourism to address the issue of the drop in water level and the issue of the sinkholes are few and insufficient.

Highway No. 90 is a central and vital transportation artery that runs along the entire western shore of the Dead Sea, and thousands of vehicles pass through it every day. The sinkholes approach the route of the road and even open up in the road itself. MAZ's handling of their formation on a partial road: its geophysical tests on the road are not done regularly, and are only focused on areas along the road that it has defined as "prone to the formation of sinkholes".

There is no national outline plan for the Dead Sea area for the area within the green line, nor is there a regional outline plan for the area under the authority of the Civil Administration. The relationship between the governmental bodies dealing with Dead Sea affairs and the civil administration is quite loose, and at the moment there is no database shared by all the bodies, which would have the power to optimize the treatment of the sinkhole phenomenon and its results.

From 1995 until the end of the audit, MM marketing 29 plots of land bordering the Dead Sea or up to 500 meters away from it within the boundaries of the Green Line. The lands were sold to buyers, but the agreements with them did not include a note that there may be sinkholes and that the buyers are aware of this and are nevertheless interested in the purchase.

Since 1999, various government ministries have been discussing on and off in an attempt to find a solution to the problem of insurance or indemnification against sinkhole damage, but at the time of the end of the audit, a solution to this problem had not yet been found. The reviewer concludes the chapter.

The Adam Teva and Din Association responded: The State Comptroller once again emphasizes the need for comprehensive and systematic treatment of this precious national natural resource. The authorities who believe in treating the Dead Sea cannot remain indifferent in the face of the criticism that arises in the report and especially the alarming and dangerous phenomenon of the sinkholes, the absence of reference in the policy document of the Ministry of Environmental Protection to alternatives for saving the Dead Sea and the absence of the existence of a national outline plan for the shores of the Dead Sea.

More on the subject on the science website

• Locate sinkholes when they are small
• Navot HaKarakh Memories of the Dead Sea - Part a' - Part II' - Part C
• Save the Dead Sea - really?
• The State Comptroller Reveals the Dead Sea Defects (2006)
• Dr. Assaf Rosenthal's comments on the auditor's report (2006)