(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Last July, just before disengagement, Yousef Abu Safiyya, head of the PA's Environment Quality Authority, charged that Israel buried 50,000 tons of waste in Gush Katif and was polluting water wells and spoiling crops with concentrated sewage. However, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) issued a report Thursday that disputed these allegations and gave "the Gaza pullout an environmental clean bill of health." The study, "Environmental Assessment of the Areas Disengaged by Israel in the Gaza Strip," was conducted at the request of the Palestinian Authority, with Israel's cooperation, and looked at water quality, soil/land contamination, hazardous waste, asbestos, and coastal zone issues. "The assessment did not find contamination of water, land, or buildings that pose a significant risk to the environment or public health," the UNEP report said.
2006-03-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive