Pumping from Kinneret halted as water drops to critical level
By Avi Bar-Eli Haaretz 21 January 2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057384.html

The pumping of water from Lake Kinneret, which serves as Israel's primary
water reservoir, was halted on Monday as water levels reached just 40 cm
above the critical "black line," below which all pumping is forbidden.
Pumping was stopped as Israel suffers the driest winter season since
measurements began in the 1920s.

Since the beginning of the rainy season (October), precipitation throughout
the country has reached only 50-70% of its average. January, the rainiest
month in the season, has seen just 22 mm of rain - 10% of the multi-annual
average for the month - in central and northern areas. Without a dramatic
change in the meteorological picture, January 2009 is expected to be the
driest in recorded history.

The Water Authority said this week that there is already an unprecedented
shortage in Israel's water reserves. The Dan, Banias and Snir rivers are at
historic low levels, even though the rainy season is well advanced. These
rivers should be pouring some 80 cubic meters of water into the Kinneret
lake in January, but as of January 18, there has been almost no flow of
water this month. Water sources feeding the Kinneret are also at their
lowest level since measurements began. If February is not unusually rainy,
the Water Authority says, the Banias and Snir rivers will nearly dry up.

Suspension of pumping from the Kinneret has resulted in increased pumping
from Israel's aquifers, which are also in deficit after four years of
drought - and on the brink of the fifth consecutive dry year.

And the question arises: What has been done to date to address the
increasing water shortage? The Water Authority slashed allocations to
farmers by 50% in 2008, placed a moratorium on planting new gardens and
canceled all discounts on consumption for garden irrigation. Simultaneously,
the Water Authority launched a public advertising campaign to encourage
people to save water, which it says has resulted in the saving of 100
million cubic meters of water. Nevertheless, the campaign is heard
broadcasted only from time to time.

The authority plans to cut another 100 million cubic meters from its
allocation to agriculture, which is already suffering the consequences of
the devastating earlier cuts, place a sweeping moratorium on irrigation of
public lawns - and possibly private ones as well - and increase efficiency
of water consumption in the industrial sector. At present the authority is
not planning to restrict household water use.

As plans for additional desalination plants at Sorek and Ashdod move forward
at a snail's pace, Water Authority chief Uri Shani has announced that the
authority will call on international sources for information on available
technology for importing water.

Nevertheless, the tender for the desalination plant in Ashdod, the fifth in
Israel, has raised plenty of interest from both local and international
corporations. Foreign companies that will be participating tomorrow in a
bidders' conference include Wacorp Hyundai India, Nhon Corporation from
Vietnam, Mid-Century Beijing from China and the representative of a company
based in Oman in the Persian Gulf. Israeli companies that have promised to
send delegates include IDE Technologies, Housing and Constructing, Granite
Hacarmel, GE and Siemens Israel.

The current tender is for planning and constructing a 65-dunam (16-acre) sea
water desalination plant in the northern industrial zone of Ashdod. The
plant will be capable of desalinating up to about 100 million cubic meters
of sea water a year, or at least 100,000 per day.

The conference will present the draft tender which, for the first time, will
not be for a direct franchise between the contractor and state. Instead, the
plant is to be operated by Mekorot-Yizum for 25 years under a "Build,
Operate,Transfer" (B.O.T.) agreement with the state. The agreement became
possible after the Comptroller's department waived the need for a tender for
the state-owned water company subsidiary Mekorot Yizum.

The cost of the project, which is expected to begin operating in 2012, is
estimated at $450 million.

In a strong show of support for the project, Minister of National
Infrastructure Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Water Authority head Uri Shani, Mekorot
chairman Eli Ronen, Mekorot Yizum chairman Ido Rozolio and CEO Giora Guttman
will participate in the conference.