Though sometimes ignored, the water crisis is heavily upon Israel, and emergency measures such as cutbacks in agriculture quotas, water taxes, and even hourglasses to measure showers are planned.
The Water Authority recently ended its “Israel is Drying Up” public relations campaign, and reports a measure of success. For the first time in five years, private water usage did not increase, and actually dropped by 12%. This is not enough, however, and after Passover, the Authority will begin a new campaign entitled, “We Must Save the Kinneret.”
The Kinneret Lake (Sea of Galilee), Israel’s largest reservoir, currently stands at only 213.35 meters below sea level - 35 centimeters below the original “red line” minimum level. The current level is dangerously low, as normal summer usage will drop it down to the absolute minimum level of 215 meters below sea level.
The Kinneret is about 4.5 meters (15 feet) below the maximum level, at which the dams must be opened to prevent flooding. This last occurred in early 1993.
Israel has now undergone five winters in a row of less-than-average precipitation.
Emergency Measures
“Water usage has dropped,” said Authority Chairman Prof. Uri Shani at a press conference on Monday, “but unless we have a particularly rainy winter, the situation is expected to get worse, not better. During the course of 2009, we will have to institute further measures.” These will include taxes on both farmers and private consumers who use more than their quota of water, restrictions on watering private and public lawns, and the addition of inspectors authorized to fine violators.
Water-saving devices will also be distributed, and, as has been done in Australia, Spain and France, hourglasses will also be given out for consumers to time their showers. In addition, 100 million cubic meters of water will be cut back from quotas granted to agriculturalists.
Objections
Water union workers object to the new measures: “The Water Authority is just doing more of the same. Saving water by individuals is not what will solve our national crisis.”
Desalination
The government also has plans to increase desalination. Five temporary desalination plants, costing $300 million, will be in operation by next year – a temporary stopgap measure until permanent desalination plants are completed, 3-5 years from now.
Israel currently desalinates 135 million cubic meters of water each year: 100 million at the Ashkelon plant, the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination facility, and the remainder in Palmachim. A third plant, set to be completed soon in Hadera, is scheduled to provide 100 million cubic meters of water each year. Additional desalination plants are to be constructed along the Mediterranean coast, producing 600 million annual cubic meters by 2013, and 750 million by 2020.
