Benjamin Regional Council will lead one of the largest infrastructure and environmental projects now being promoted in the West Bank, a plan to divert all sewage from Al Bireh to the Og wastewater treatment plant and stop it from flowing into Nahal Prat, also known as Wadi Qelt. The effort is being advanced with Israel's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Water Authority, and is meant to rehabilitate one of Israel's most important natural sites.
For years, sewage from Al Bireh has been discharged into the nature reserve, causing severe environmental damage to the reserve, wildlife, and the many visitors who come there. Parts of the reserve are closed to the public every year for periods of time because of the ongoing pollution. Under the agreement, Benjamin Regional Council will have full responsibility for planning, implementation, and management, from Al Bireh to the connection with the Og treatment plant.
The project is estimated at about 200 million shekels and will be funded by the Water Authority, including money confiscated from the Palestinian Authority by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and transferred to the state treasury. Work is already underway on the ground, with collection pipes laid for kilometers along Route 437 in eastern Benjamin, and another pipe to be installed during development work on Route 60 in the Al Bireh area. The pipes will carry sewage directly to the Og plant near the Nabi Musa junction instead of into the stream.
The project is being carried out in phases, with completion targeted for 2030. Benjamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz called it "a historic day" and said the project offers "a fundamental and long-term solution" after decades of untreated sewage. Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said the plan ends the Palestinian Authority's "environmental terror," while Water Authority chief Yehezkel Lifshitz said the partnership will turn a severe environmental nuisance into treated water for agriculture and help restore clean, natural water to Nahal Prat.
