Israel faces water deficit - reserves are rapidly declining
Israel is facing a threat to its strategic water reserves after five of six desalination plants were temporarily shut down due to microscopic algae from the Nile. The level of the Sea of Galilee has dropped to its lowest point since 2018, and groundwater reserves have fallen by nearly 2.5 meters over the past year. Authorities are counting on winter rainfall but do not rule out restrictions on agriculture.
Israel is facing a threat of further depletion of its strategic water reserves after the temporary shutdown of five of six desalination plants. The cause was microscopic algae from the Nile, which have been increasing seawater turbidity and clogging equipment since late August. Desalination plants provide nearly 80 percent of the country's domestic and municipal water consumption, so their shutdown had to be compensated for by drawing from the Sea of Galilee and underground sources. The level of the Sea of Galilee has dropped to approximately minus 213.5 meters, below the red line and to its lowest point since 2018. Groundwater reserves are only about 1.9 meters above the red line, compared to 5.3 meters in 2024 — a drop of nearly 2.5 meters in one year. Falling below the critical mark risks altering the chemical composition of groundwater. The situation is now gradually improving, turbidity has begun to decrease, and some plants may return to full capacity. During the disruption, there were no serious interruptions to drinking water for the population, although there were delays in supply for agriculture in the first day. If the situation worsens further, authorities are counting on water conservation and winter rainfall. If that is not enough, restrictions may affect agriculture, which accounts for about 1.4 billion of the approximately 2.4 billion cubic meters of annual consumption. One possible step will be reducing preferential quotas and subsidies for farmers who continue to use drinking water.