SOUTHERN Israel, Israel (Reuters) — Potash and fertilizer producer Israel Chemicals (ICL) said on Sunday (July 2) it cannot estimate the level of damage caused to the company or the environment by a spill at its fertilizer plant in Israel’s Negev desert.
Large amounts of highly acidic wastewater poured into the desert on Friday (June 30) when a wall of an evaporation pool partially collapsed at the Rotem Amfert facility, according to Israel’s Ministry of Environment. Much of the wastewater made its way to a river bed that snakes through the desert, causing “severe ecological damage,” the ministry said.
ICL, controlled by holding company Israel Corp, has exclusive rights in Israel to mine minerals from the Dead Sea, said it was working with authorities to contain the spill. It produces about a third of the world’s bromine and is the sixth-largest potash producer.
