State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman visited Ariel Sharon Park (July 25th, 2022), which used to be called the Hiriya Garbage Mountain, to closely inspect the progress of the site's development. Touring the site together with the State Comptroller were the Office's Director General Yishai Vaknin, the Director of the Government Ministries Division Yuval Hayu, the Director of the Department Aharon Hellinger, and the department employees.
The State Comptroller received an overview from the Park's Director General Dan Lichtman and his team about the path the park has taken and the future plans to complete the ecological transformation from a mountain of trash to what should be the "green lung of the Dan Metropolitan Area".
According to State Comptroller Engelman: "Already in 2005, the Israeli government decided to transform the site constituting the source of the most dangerous pollution to the Dan Metropolitan Area, in such a way that it would become the largest and most important green lung in the country. The project is a symbol of an ecological revolution for the benefit of all the citizens of Israel. Over the years, the State Comptroller's reports have revealed deficiencies in the implementation of the government's resolution. Meanwhile, we also recently published a comprehensive report on the preparation required to prevent flooding in the Tel Aviv area, on the backdrop of the fourth rail project and the required activity in the areas of Ariel Sharon Park.
The park management brought up before us the disparities for the completion of the full development of the park. I have every hope that soon the works to turn the ill-remembered garbage mountain into one of Israel's green pearls will be completed."
Reminder: In the State Comptroller's report in 2014, the following was noted about Ariel Sharon Park: "In an era of accelerated urban development, it is of great importance, from a national aspect, to preserve the green areas and to promote their use for cultural, leisure and recreation purposes, especially in the densely populated central area. The project to establish Ariel Sharon Park is a large-scale and unique project designed, among other things, to bring about the establishment of the largest metropolitan park in Israel in an area that for many years served as a waste landfill site and caused the formation of significant environmental hazards. This park is to serve as a "green lung" in the Dan metropolis for the benefit of the entire public, both this generation and generations to come".
