Israel’s beach cleanliness ratings are down from last year

Tel Aviv [Israel], August 1 (ANI/TPS): According to Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection’s clean beach index data for the first half of July, 81.82 per cent of the open beaches in Israel were rated clean or very clean, a decrease compared to 92.4 per cent in the last index of June and compared to last year’s index where 85 per cent of the beaches were clean.
The cleanest coastal municipalities are Nahariya, Meta Asher, Herzliya, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Bat Yam, Ashdod and Ashkelon.
As of July 1, 2023, the Ministry of Environmental Protection is assisting the coastal authorities throughout the country in strengthening enforcement actions to maintain the cleanliness of the beaches as part of the Ministry’s “Clean Beach” program.
The assistance is provided through the reinforcement of the inspection force by the Israel Police officers. The police officers accompany the inspectors on behalf of the Coastal Authority in supervision and enforcement operations, with the aim of creating a deterrent against waste throwers on the beaches and reducing the damage to the coastal and marine environment. As part of the enforcement activity, the polluters of a beach may be fined up to 750 Shekels (USD 205) for littering due to the high sensitivity of the beaches. (ANI/TPS)