A majority of Israelis are willing to reduce consumption in response to a water crisis, a survey found.
In a Society for Protection of Nature in Israel/Institute for Geocartography survey, more than 90 percent of respondents said they were aware of the crisis – Israel’s reservoirs have hit a 10-year low, and rainfall for this year stands at nearly 60 percent of the annual average.
Seventy-three percent of respondents said they would be willing to reduce their water use significantly to prevent serious harm to nature.
Israel’s main water source, the Sea of Galilee, is at its lowest level in more than 40 years because of four straight dry winters.
The country’s Water Authority is set to launch a massive public awareness campaign to promote water conservation. It also will introduce new regulations restricting private water consumption, including limits on watering lawns during the summer to between dusk and dawn.
The society is concerned about a proposal being considered by the Water Authority to reduce the water allotted to nature, which SPNI says would seriously damage the ecological system, dramatically altering popular nature recreation spots.
“The national Water Authority must at long last initiate an emergency plan based on the 2005 model recommended by the water commission to instill water conservation in the Israeli consciousness,” said Moshe Perlmutter, the society’s campaign director for water and coastal protection.
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