Water Authority has no flooding plan, no budget, no organization, climate resilience expert says

Orly Babitsky, head of climate resilience at Adam Teva V’Din, stated that the Water Authority lacks a plan, budget, and organization to address flooding. She highlighted a NIS 7 billion investment target for the previous decade, with only NIS 1.5 billion spent, and noted a flood risk management plan released in October 2026 without a budget allocation.

Orly Babitsky, head of climate resilience at the Israeli environmental advocacy group Adam Teva V’Din, said the Water Authority has no plan to address flooding, no budget, and no organization. In an interview on 103FM, she cited a shortfall in spending over the previous decade and unresolved questions about which national and local authorities are responsible. Investment was supposed to total about NIS 7 billion, but only NIS 1.5 billion was invested. Babitsky said increasingly intense rainfall underscores the need for local governments to prepare for flooding. She noted that a flood risk management plan was released in October 2026 after more than six years, but without a budget allocation. She described solutions including designating floodable areas and maintaining drainage infrastructure.