A few weeks ago I posted that Israel’s water crisis is so bad that water might be rationed soon. I also mentioned that part of the problem Israel has had with addressing its growing water needs has been due to the insufficient handling of the Israel’s water plan by the government. Since my post, both stories have developed further.
The first is that Israel’s Water Authority is seeking to cut Israeli home water usage by 10% in 2009. Haaretz reported last week that the Water Authority plans to cut home water usage by
“distributing low-flow faucet aerators heads called chaschams to 1.2 million households around the country, limiting the watering of public parks and imposing a ‘drought fee’ on high-use domestic consumers.”
Watering of private lawns will become prohibited and public parks and businesses will be limited to certain set days and times. Several cities have already imposed water quotas.
In addition to this news, Desalination.biz reports that the Israeli government issued last week a request for information (RFI) “about the installation of temporary mobile desalination plants.” As a short-term solution that mostly coincides with when Israel might finally have a concrete water plan (2013), it calls for three desalination plants to all be up and running in the next year and last for three years.
At the end of three years, each plant in its entirety will have to be removed within 6 months and the area “restored to its initial conditions.” The sites for the plants are the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants in Ashkelon, Palmachim and Hadera (which is still under construction).
It seems that the best move by the government so far, aside from issuing the RFI for the plants, is the plan to distribute the faucet aerators. The campaign can be even more effective if the government builds upon the water saving tips that it posted on several of its websites last year and creates a field team that will teach each household about water conservation and how to properly use the aerators.
Author: Lisa Damast
Lisa Damast is an online marketing consultant by day and blogger of Israel technology by night. Her blog, Israel Innovation 2.0, provides news and analysis of Israeli technology companies in the enterprise software, Web 2.0 and cleantech sectors. Lisa is also a co-organizer of the Jerusalem Business Networking Forum (JBNF). JBNF helps facilitate online and offline networking among business professionals in Jerusalem, including in the cleantech industry. Lisa made aliyah in August 2007 after receiving a degree in Communication Studies from Boston University in May 2007. Lisa can be reached at lisa (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Att: Lisa Damast
I would very much like to get in contact with the authorities that have called for proposals for 3 RO plants to be up and running in the next year. My company manufactures mobile units as large as clients would like to see them and they can be installed anywhere.
Can you please assist me in getting the right telephone number or email address in Israel so that we may make contact.
Kind regards
Pieter Colyn
Johannesburg – South Africa