| Yarkon River (Hebrew: נחל הירקון, Nahal HaYarkon) | |
| Yarqon River, Auja or Awja River[1][2] | |
| River | |
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| Country | Israel |
|---|---|
| Cities | Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva |
| Source | Tel Afek |
| - location | near Rosh Ha'ayin, Center District, Israel |
| Mouth | Mediterranean Sea |
| - location | Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel |
| - coordinates | 32°5′0″N 34°48′0″E / 32.083333°N 34.8°E |
| Length | 27.5 km (17 mi) |
The Yarkon River (Hebrew: נחל הירקון, Nahal HaYarkon; Arabic, Nahr el-Auja), also Yarqon River, is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon is at Tel Afek (Antipatris), north of Petah Tikva. It flows west through Gush Dan into the Mediterranean Sea.
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History
The Yarkon 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.[3] 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.
When the river’s headwaters were diverted to the Negev via the National Water Carrier for irrigation purposes, the state of the Yarkon declined. As sewage replaced the flow of fresh water, habitats were destroyed and flora and fauna disappeared. This was exacerbated by continuous discharges of industrial effluents and municipal sewage into the rivers, which allowed algae to multiply. [4]
Yarkon River Authority
In 1988, the Yarkon River Authority was established to revitalize the river and make sections of it suitable for sailing, fishing, swimming and other recreation. Water quality improved after the construction of modern sewage treatment plants in Hod Hasharon and Ramat Hasharon. The river was dredged to restore its original depth and natural flow. River banks were raised and reinforced, hiking and bicycling paths were built, and picnic and fishing areas were developed with the help of contributions from the Australian Jewish community via the Jewish National Fund.[4]
Maccabiah disaster
On July 14, 1997, four members of the Australian delegation to the Maccabiah Games were killed and 60 injured as a result of the collapse of a temporary pedestrian bridge over the Yarkon and their subsequent exposure to toxic chemicals in the river.[5] Over 100 other athletes, who were on the bridge at the time, survived.
References
- ^ Dror Zeʼevi (1996). An Ottoman Century: The District of Jerusalem in the 1600s. SUNY Press. p. 101. ISBN 0791429156, 9780791429150.
- ^ Amos Nadan (2006). The Palestinian Peasant Economy Under the Mandate: A Story of Colonial Bungling. Harvard CMES. p. 62. ISBN 0674021355, 9780674021358.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b A rural walk through the big cities, Jerusalem Post
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library Maccabiah Games
External links
- (Hebrew) Yarkon River Authority
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