Tour D

The Yad Hana WWTP was built in 2004 as an emergency WWTP to treat the domestic sewage coming from the city of Tulkarem. The plant was supposed to run for only 5 years and at a capacity of 5000 CM a day. Here we witness both cross-border pollution issues in plain site and meet the Israeli manager of the WWTP to hear the stories about the ups and downs of cross-border relations. Today after 14 years, the plant still runs but is not capable of treating the 14000 CM a day mix of wastewater and industrial waste.

From the Fort which used to be a crusader stronghold and a strategic point, one can view the Shomron mountains to the east and the city of Tulkarem and its surroundings. Underneath this area is the mountain aquifer, which is Israel’s main underground water resource and the West Bank Palestinians’ only water source. Here we will talk about water diplomacy with the Palestinian Authority.

This relatively new site is one of Emek Hefer’s nicest attractions, The Old Hogla fish ponds have been converted into a beautiful pond taking the water from extra effluent from local reservoirs and some ground water. This place is heaven for bird lovers- a few bird-watching facilities were constructed along the pond trails.

The health of the river ecosystem here is centered on the soft shell turtle - through its story, we will see how pollution influences nature.

Where the river meets the sea is a place one can examine and see the differences between east and west, from the beginning of the day where we saw how the river looked near the border with Tulkarem and how it looks near the Mediterranean Sea in Israel. We will hear stories about the history of the river and its importance in the 19th century –for example, as a conduit for the export of watermelons to locations throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea.