Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Wednesday that a rare natural phenomenon over the past two days caused unprecedented sea turbidity, shutting down most desalination plants for the first time in two decades. He said pumping from wells and the Sea of Galilee is being increased and steps are being taken to restore the plants, with household water supply continuing as usual.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen on Wednesday (Sep 2) addressed the unprecedented disruption to Israel's desalination infrastructure, stating that a rare natural phenomenon over the past two days caused severe sea turbidity, shutting down most desalination plants for the first time in two decades. He said the Water Authority has increased pumping from groundwater wells and the Sea of Galilee, and is taking steps to restore the plants, with household water supply continuing as normal. The announcement provides the first official government confirmation after days of escalating disruptions.
The chain of events began on Monday, Aug 31, when six major desalination plants were shut down due to sea turbidity. By Monday evening, the Water Authority ruled out a cyber attack and attributed the failure to an unusual biological event, as The Zioneer reported. The Sorek A plant resumed operations that evening, but on Tuesday evening, five of the six plants were shut down again due to renewed turbidity, according to Israeli media reports. Minister Cohen's statement now frames the entire episode as a single rare natural event rather than a series of separate failures.
Israel's desalination plants provide the vast majority of the nation's drinking water, making the grid critically dependent on stable sea conditions. As The Zioneer reported on Monday, the initial shutdown led to immediate conservation measures in Tel Aviv and reduced agricultural supply in the Ramat HaNegev region. The current disruption highlights the vulnerability of the country's water infrastructure to extreme weather and sea conditions.
The exact nature of the biological phenomenon remains unconfirmed, and the timeline for full restoration of all plants has not been disclosed. The Water Authority has not provided further details on the steps being taken to prevent a recurrence.
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