Yarkon River
The Yarkon River (Hebrew: נחל הירקון, Nahal HaYarkon), also Yarqon River, is an Israeli river which originates at Tel Afek (Antipatris), north of Petah Tikva. It flows west through seven dormitory towns of Gush Dan including Ramat Gan, and then flows through Hayarkon Park into the Mediterranean Sea. It is the largest coastal river in Israel, at 27.5 km in length. The Yarkon formed the southern border of the vilayet of Beirut during the Ottoman period.[1] The river became increasingly polluted after the 1950s, many blaming this on the construction of the Reading Power Station which is situated near its mouth. Recently[when?] this has been reversed as much of the river has been restored.[citation needed] On July 14, 1997, four members of the Australian delegation to the Maccabiah Games were killed as a result of the collapsing of a temporary pedestrian bridge over the Yarkon.[2] Over 100 other athletes, who were on the bridge at the time, survived.
Yarkon River Authority
In 1955, water quality in the Yarkon River noticeably deteriorated when its waters were diverted via the pipelines of the National Water Carrier to provide water for irrigation purposes to the arid Negev desert in the south of the country. Sewage began to replace fresh water resulting in the destruction of habitats as well as the disappearance of flora and fauna.
As a result, the Yarkon River Authority was set up in 1988 to improve the quality of the river. Today, the authority is responsible for the cleanup, restoration and development of the river, ensuring that the quality of the water makes it suitable for leisure and recreation. In order to restore the river, hundreds of tons of garbage were removed from the river, whilst the authority also cleaned up the banks and improved leisure paths alongside the river. It has subsequently been noticed that the programme of renewal has much improved the channel and the surrounding environment.
Footnotes
- ^ Weldon C. Matthews (2006) Confronting an Empire, Constructing a Nation: Arab Nationalists and Popular Politics in Mandate Palestine I.B.Tauris, ISBN 1845111737 p 26
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library Maccabiah Games
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