A report published by the Samuel Neaman Institute deals with the activities of river rehabilitation management and indicates improvement in the treatment of streams over the years, but also inconsistencies and a long line of barriers
A comprehensive report on the assessment of rivers administration in Israel was recently published by the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research. The report, prepared by Prof. Ofira Ayalon, Dr. Tamar trop, Dr. Tzipi Eshet and Naama Shapira examines the achievements and challenges of rivers restoration administrations from their inception in 1993 to present times with respect to regulation, management, execution, economics and maintenance.
According to the report, there has been a positive change over the years in Israel when it comes to river management, with an emphasis on moving to River Basin Management, through river rehabilitation administrations that focused on runoff, drainage and erosion management, considering the environmental and drainage functions of the streams. Yet, split authorities, lack of budget, differences in priorities among the various entities, and a complex legal system – makes it difficult to plan and execute the restoration of rivers in Israel. Despite billions of NIS invested and some improvements are marked, there is not even a single river restored in Israel.
