With water levels in Lake Kinneret and underground reservoirs just beginning to climb above their all-time lows, Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies presented a six-point plan of action today aimed at solving the nation’s water crisis. The plan has drawn across-the-board support from Knesset Members, as well as from the pro-agriculture lobby and the conservationists. The BESA Center Water Project experts spent two years weighing recent scientific and technological discoveries, strategic and international factors, and budgetary and political constraints, and presented their findings during today\'s conference on “Efficient Use of Limited Water Resources.\" Featured speakers were Minister of Infrastructures Avigdor Lieberman and Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simhon, and Water Commissioner Shimon Tal and other water experts and researchers participated as well. The six-step plan of action includes the following measures:
1) Immediate steps to implement emergency solutions such as desalination and importing water from Turkey.
2) A national emergency plan for the development and implementation of ways to reprocess and use wastewater - such as using hand-washing water for flushing and vegetable-washing water for gardening - as well as more effective use of rain and run-off water.
3) Concern for agriculture as a national interest, and replacing water-cost discounts to farmers with direct subsidies.
4) Water should be sold at its market value, without subsidies.
5) The increased supply made possible by desalination, imports, and reprocessing should allow for a decrease in pumping from reservoirs and aquifers.
6) Improving education and information on water conservation. For more information, see \"http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/plan.html\".
The rains of last night and today throughout much of Israel are expected to end tomorrow. The Kinneret level stood this morning at 214.70 meters below sea level - 1.7 meters below the original \"red line\" - and is slowly climbing. Heavy snow fell on Mt. Hermon in northern Israel yesterday and today. The snow measured seven centimeters on the mountain’s lower plateaus late this morning, and 15 centimeters on the mountaintop.
1) Immediate steps to implement emergency solutions such as desalination and importing water from Turkey.
2) A national emergency plan for the development and implementation of ways to reprocess and use wastewater - such as using hand-washing water for flushing and vegetable-washing water for gardening - as well as more effective use of rain and run-off water.
3) Concern for agriculture as a national interest, and replacing water-cost discounts to farmers with direct subsidies.
4) Water should be sold at its market value, without subsidies.
5) The increased supply made possible by desalination, imports, and reprocessing should allow for a decrease in pumping from reservoirs and aquifers.
6) Improving education and information on water conservation. For more information, see \"http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/plan.html\".
The rains of last night and today throughout much of Israel are expected to end tomorrow. The Kinneret level stood this morning at 214.70 meters below sea level - 1.7 meters below the original \"red line\" - and is slowly climbing. Heavy snow fell on Mt. Hermon in northern Israel yesterday and today. The snow measured seven centimeters on the mountain’s lower plateaus late this morning, and 15 centimeters on the mountaintop.