By SHARON UDASIN
08/01/2012

Israeli cliffs lose 40-50 centimeters a year due to erosion, with some in danger of complete collapse.

The Socioeconomic Cabinet approved a plan on Tuesday to establish a governmental company for coastal cliff protection, the Environmental Protection Ministry reported.

The new company will design, launch and maintain defense structures to prevent the collapse of coastal cliffs, adhering to a NIS 500 million to be allocated in the coming years. Each year, Israel’s Mediterranean coastal cliffs are losing about 40 to 50 centimeters to erosion, and their potential collapse could endanger human lives as well as cost billions of shekels in damages, the ministry said.

“In order to speed up the prevention of cliff collapse, it is necessary to concentrate all efforts and operate from a national perspective,” said Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan. “The new company will bring an end to beach destruction and its activities will protect the lives of swimmers.”

The government corporation, officially to be called The Government Company for the Protection of Mediterranean Coastal Cliffs, Ltd., will plan and implement defense mechanisms for the cliffs, such as placing breakwaters along the shores. Breakwaters, according to the ministry, reduce the impact of water against the cliffs and thereby decrease the likelihood of collapse. In addition, the company will also monitor the activities of local authorities, which are responsible for establishing on-land protective measures for the cliffs.

In recent years, the rate of cliff collapse has gradually accelerated, mainly due to the construction of marinas and other structures along the beaches. The destruction potentially caused as a result of the erosion could not only be extremely costly, but could also harm heritage sites and tourism infrastructure, the ministry said.

Due to the national nature of the project and the need to expedite its implementation, establishing a government company was crucial, the ministry stressed.

Before the cabinet’s decision on Tuesday, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel CEO Moshe Pakman and Life and Environment CEO Naor Yerushalmi had written a letter to the ministers sitting on the cabinet calling for their support of the company.

“Coastal cliff collapse is an ever-increasing problem over the the years,” they wrote.

Creating a government company for such a unique issue is important, as is including six public representatives among the company directors – with one a representative of the environmental organizations, they said.

“Handling the project on coastal cliff protection is an issue of high environmental sensitivity, and therefore, it is very important that a representative of environmental organizations will be a public representative on the board,” the CEOs added.

http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=279611

New Israeli government company to tackle collapse of coastal cliffs – Haaretz

Launching and operating the company will require government allocations totaling some NIS 500 million over the next few years.

A new government company is to be formed to cope with the erosion and possible collapse of the sandstone cliffs that line the Mediterranean shore, ministers in the “socioeconomic cabinet” decided on Tuesday.

The new body is to be called The Government Company for Protecting the Cliffs of the Mediterranean Shore, Ltd. It will be responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining sea defenses against the cliffs’ collapse, which will include building breakwaters. Launching and operating the company will require government allocations totaling some NIS 500 million over the next few years.

There are those who argue, however, that building breakwaters, which is one of the solutions the government plans to pursue, is liable to harm adjacent beaches and increase the risk of drowning.

The decision to back Environmental Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan’s proposal to form the company follows a comprehensive evaluation of the condition of the coastal ridge, which was conducted by an interministerial team that found the cliff is retreating at a rate of 40 to 50 centimeters a year. This is the effect of acts such as building marinas and sea structures that block the flow of sand to the shore, which exposes the cliffs directly to the force of the waves and has led to the collapse of some parts of the cliffs.

The collapse of these cliffs pose a risk to billions of shekels’ worth of property as well as to human life. The problem is most acute in urban areas such as Ashkelon, Herzliya, Netanya and the shore areas of Hadera and Beit Yanai.

About three years ago a man was killed near a cliff in the Havatzelet Hasharon area, apparently by a falling chunk of cliff. There have been a few instances of cliff sections falling in the Sharon Coast National Park north of Herzliya, and the National Parks Authority advised visitors to avoid the area.

There are those who argue, however, that building breakwaters, which is one of the solutions the government plans to pursue, is liable to harm adjacent beaches and increase the risk of drowning.

Setting up breakwaters is meant to reduce the force of the waves hitting the cliffs. But some experts oppose this solution.

“Breakwaters pose a risk to bathers because they cause whirlpools near them,” say Dr. Yaakov Nir, a veteran marine geologist. “At their edges, they also increase the force of the waves that will hit any adjacent beach not protected by breakwaters, thus harming that beach.”

Instead, Nir suggests protecting the base of the cliffs by using a narrower, graduated structure that won’t occupy much of the beach.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/new-israeli-government-company-to-tackle-collapse-of-coastal-cliffs-1.455072

By Zafrir Rinat | Aug.01, 2012