By Shmuel Katz
I know that I write about this every year. But when you live near a desert, water is a primary resource–especially when a major segment of your economy is agriculture. Water is literally the lifeblood of many industries and communities. And the current situation is not good.
In 2008, we reached close to an all-time low level in water supply. After several years of drought, the Kineret Lake (at that time the source of about 40% of the water used in Israel) stood at a level of 214.47 meters below sea level. At that time there was a water conservation publicity campaign conducted by the government. Municipalities made watering rules for gardens and public fountains. It seemed like the entire country was focused on the state of the Kineret.
Today, the lake stands at —214.25, a mere 22 centimeters above the low of 2008 (and 46 cm above 2001’s lowest point). With a month or more to go before the rains come in earnest (significant rains usually begin in mid to late November and sometimes don’t begin until January), you would think that water conservation and the low level of the lake would be a major issue here in Israel. You’d be wrong.
There is no concern. No PR campaign. No conservation measures put into effect. And technology is the reason why.
We began to desalinate water almost 10 years ago, with the desalination facilities beginning production just at the tail end of the last water crisis. We continue to open more facilities, and at the current production level can supply around 65% of the country’s water needs via desalinated water. And we are planning to open even more production facilities in the North (where we still use Kineret water).
With such prodigious capacity for producing potable water from the sea, little things like droughts become less of a concern when considering the overall water picture. In fact, in some ways, the desalination process is so much more efficient than filtering rainwater that salt levels and other contaminants historically found in water used for irrigation are much lower, providing for much healthier trees and crops.
But there is a flip side to all this wealth.
Desalination dumps huge amounts of salt back into the sea, the effects of which are really unknown at this point. The country is only now beginning to study the issue. Israel is one of the leading countries in desalinated-water production, so these studies will have real-life results and implications. And we don’t get any do-overs, so whatever damage we might be doing may be permanent–there is no way to know.
Additionally, there are other nutrients, such as magnesium, which are not found in desalinated water. The lack of these nutrients can be harmful to us over time.
Finally, and perhaps most critically, is the lack of awareness that we have. No one seems to care that the Kineret is in dire straits or that the northern regions of the country have been suffering from a lack of rainfall (oddly, the rest of the country has done pretty well the last couple of years). We have a huge zone where the native ecology is at risk.
The Kineret itself, which is still used to provide the majority of the water in the North, has higher than recommended levels of contaminants in it due to the lack of water to dilute them. There is a point where we might cause permanent ecological damage (within the next 100 cm or so) to the lake and the fish and other living things in it.
That’s a food source. And the region relies on the lake and the surrounding rivers for tourism. Who’s going to want to come visit a brackish, dead lake (the Dead Sea is different) with low or non-existent river flow? Damage to the ecology threatens livelihoods and communities.
But it’s not just the Kineret. The entire region has riverbeds and waterfalls and reservoirs that rely upon water flow and replenishment. Maybe not every year, but at least every couple of years. This renews the region. And the lack of rain causes them to fill with garbage and other waste.
We’ve already begun saying “V’ten Tal U’matar” here in Israel. You’ve still got some time to go. But the entire world is davening for rain for us here, when you say “Morid HaGeshem.” Please take an extra minute to think about this tefillah the next time you daven. We need it.
Shmuel Katz, his wife Goldie, and their six children made aliyah in July 2006. Before making aliyah, Shmuel was the executive director of the Yeshiva of South Shore in Hewlett. You can contact him at shmuel@katzfamily.co.il.
