As toxic sewage and factory sludge choke Hebron stream, locals refuse to go with the flow
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporterIt’s the stench that hits first — a nauseating wave that reveals raw sewage coursing through the Hebron Stream beneath the Jewish settlement of Otniel in the southern West Bank, a riverbed meant to be dry in July.Its banks are caked in a blinding white crust that allows only the most resilient of plants to survive. The white powder is not natural to the stream; it has entered via the city of Hebron’s sewage pipe network, originating at stone-cutting factories that use large amounts of water to cool lathes that cut Hebron stone — also sometimes known as Jerusalem stone — into slabs for the area’s characteristic building facades, flooring and tiles.For years, the Palestinian Authority has been building an internationally funded wastewater treatment plant for Hebron. Delays were caused partly by Israeli changes of plan. But even once finished, the facility…
The Hebron Stream, flowing through the southern West Bank, is severely polluted with raw sewage and white sludge from stone-cutting factories, threatening the Mountain Aquifer and impacting communities as far as Beersheba. This ecological crisis stems from inadequate infrastructure, decades of population growth, and the complex jurisdictional divisions established by the Oslo Accords, which leave 60% of the West Bank under Israeli civil and security control.
“When one area is divided into three jurisdictions with two responsibilities, nobody takes responsibility,”
said EcoPeace Israel director Gidon Bromberg. Legal action has been initiated by environmental groups Green Now and Regavim, petitioning the High Court for the closure of polluting factories in Area C, while EcoPeace Middle East pursues diplomatic solutions. Despite various plans from the Civil Administration and local councils to address the pollution, including new pipelines and treatment facilities, these initiatives lack confirmed budgets and timelines, perpetuating the environmental degradation.
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