Rationing of water will be implemented soon in Israel’s southern half because the nation’s water supply is approaching a “disastrously” low level on account of last winter’s inadequate rainfall, the Israel Water Authority announced today.
The Yarkon River headwaters, main source of water for most of Israel’s southern section, have already dropped to 8,000,000 cubic meters a month compared with the 11,000,000 meters normal for June.
Experts forecast a further drop to 6,000,000 meters in August, compared with a normal 10,000,000 and 4,000,000 instead of 9,000,000 meters in September, which is expected to be the most critical month. Farms will be ordered to cut irrigation by 12 to 17 percent, it was indicated.
Israel is suffering a double-pronged pressure. The shortage of rain, on the one hand, meant insufficient water for fields and orchards with a consequent earlier and heavier irrigation. On the other, both natural and artificial reservoirs did not fill up during the winter. This made impossible the supply of water required even during a normal year. Another dangerous side effect is the growing salination of springs in the coastal area.
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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.
