Water bill prices in Israel continue to rise while desalination plans and conservation efforts remain stalled. Image via IDE Technologies.
Not long ago the Jerusalem Post reported on a national water scandal that seems to have crept on most of the Israeli public. In the past year water bills have gone up 40 percent. Since 2008, the average price per cubic meter has risen 400%.
Despite these absurd numbers, no one seems to have expressed any disapproval. Maybe it’s because of the two-three month delay in sending water bills which makes people forget or maybe it’s because people are resigned to the thinking that because it is scarce, it should be high, but whatever the reason, it’s not completely right.
As the article points out,
“The logic (of the Israel Water Authority) is to pass on to consumers losses incurred by regional water authorities, as well as to have households foot the bill for erecting desalination plants, which should have been constructed and fully operational years ago.”
While desalination would solve some of Israel’s water problems, it is years away from making Israel self-sufficient. In addition, the prices will still remain high since desalination plants require a lot of energy. On top of that, poor infrastructure that continues to be ignored despite leaks and other problems will also continue to be a problem that the public will have to pay for.
It might be high-time for people to now notice this and to demand the government to stop delaying these projects. It’s also a good time to institute far-reaching programs that encourage conservation.
Israeli Solutions to Locating and Plugging Leaks:
Arad’s Drone Flies By and Hones In On Leaky Pipes
TaKaDu Adds Brains to the “Dumb” Water Grid
CuraPipe Systems Hires “Pigs” to Repair Leaky Pipelines
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.
