An unseasonal heat wave has struck Israel, water consumption throughout the country has increased while water reserves have been lowered, and authorities are concerned, although official meteorologists refuse to identify the situation as a drought.
Temperatures here have risen to as high as 84 degrees, and 87 has been registered at nearby Lydda Airport. Throughout the country, settlements and irrigation projects have had to employ heavy-pressure pumps to supply enough water.
The Mayor here has ordered that old wells be put into use–contrary to the orders of the Water Commissioner, who has decreed that water here be taken only from the Yarkon River feeder lines. “I know we may be fined for this,” said the Mayor, “but I’d rather pay a fine than let our citizens suffer thirst.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
