Waiting for the Messiah
By David Verveer
In a few days the spring officially begins, and here in Israel, this is the time we will be confronted with statistics on the annual quantities of precipitation (rain and snow) we were blessed to receive with the sad note that again this year we failed to replenish our water deficit. Again they push our panic button, telling us that the level of the sea of Galilee (the Kinereth) is 4.50 meters below its upper level, and show pathetic (and very expensive) TV adds to promote water saving with the message that every drop counts. I won't use the word "bullshit" as such words are considered not polite, but let us one moment reflect on some facts known by every one ho knows something about the water crisis in Israel (most of them in actual fact, problems known worldwide).
1 – We consume around 20 to 25% more water than we generally receive annually with rainfall and recycling combined. However, enormous quantities of flood-water are yearly wasted and lost, due to insufficient storage facilities to catch those floods before it reaches the sea, mainly because high costs of building water reservoirs, catchment ponds and the price of real estate to build those installations.
2 –Israel recycles about 70% of its sewage water, one of the highest percentages in the world, but the law requirement that this recycled water has to be drinking water quality, makes recycling very expensive, on the other hand, our upriver neighbors (the Palestinians) have no funds to treat their sewage and pollute our and their groundwater aquifers, decreasing yearly the quantities of available potable water.
3 - Israel is one of the leading exporters and experts in desalination technologies, and 5 years ago, when our annual shortage of water became crystal clear, our Ministry of Finance declined to transfer sufficient funding to establish the necessary desalination plants, to overcome our yearly deficit, with the excuse of high costs and financial crisis. Instead of investing in desalination plants, they borrowed for one time only water (+/- 5 meters) from the Sea of Galilee, by over pumping. Those borrowed 5 meters can never be replenished naturally, and yearly we continue to play the game of how many meters we are below the upper level.
4 – This year, like always, they (the Government) promised to enlarge our desalination capabilities, but this Government finished its term due to the election victory of the right, and I don't expect that with a weak Coalition Government, in the middle of a world financial crisis, Mr. Netanyahu will keep the promises of the former Government.
5 – The Television campaign for saving water is pure waste of public money, which should have been invested in desalination and improvement of the sewage treatment.
True those methods such as placing a plastic bottle in the Niagara of your WC, putting water /.pressure valves in the domestic water supply systems, and other water saving inventions reduce the domestic water usage, but believe me, our shortage of water is not effected by domestic water usage, but because leakage in the supply systems, water wasteful irrigation of our agricultural and gardens, for example overhead sprinkler irrigation on lawns during daytime, instead of using treated waste water with drip systems during night time, reducing the evaporation loss.
6 – Receiving Potable water is our basic right as citizens, and it is the duty of the Government to provide us with sufficient good quality water, using tax money for water saving campaigns instead of providing us with sufficient water is morally wrong. Expecting that the good Lord will replace the 5 meter of water stolen by the Ministry of Finance is like not going to the Doctor, as the Messiah is coming who will solve everything.
