Israel has been hit by its worst ever environmental crisis as millions of litres of crude oil gushed out of a pipeline to flood 200 acres of a desert nature reserve, officials said. Officials say rehabilitation of the area could take months, even years, as the spill stretched to a couple of kilometers long and reached the Evrona nature reserve, close to the Jordan border. Firefighters and environmental groups scrambled to the scene in an attempt to seal the puncture in the pipeline and prevent further contamination, which was described as considerable by Guy Samet, the director of the southern region in the Environmental Protection Ministry. This is one of the largest [environmental] events in the history of the country, Mr Samet said. Were talking about thousands of gallons of crude oil, which will endanger local wildlife and the surrounding nature reserve, he said, adding that rehabilitation could take years. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2860912/Israel-hit-worst-environmental-crisis-millions-litres-crude-oil-spill-pipeline-desert.html
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 17:42:01 +0000