Following the recent shutdown of most desalination plants, the environmental NGO Tzalul warned that Israel's cities are about 75% dependent on desalinated water, according to N12. The group called for rehabilitating wells, preparing for supply disruptions, and advancing water conservation measures.
Today, Thursday, the environmental NGO Tzalul warned that Israel's cities are about 75% dependent on desalinated water, calling urgently for the rehabilitation of natural wells, contingency planning for supply disruptions, and water conservation measures. The warning comes as the latest civil-society response to this week's unprecedented shutdown of most coastal desalination plants due to rare sea turbidity, which exposed the vulnerability of relying on coastal facilities that provide the majority of the country's drinking water.
The crisis unfolded Monday when five of six major desalination plants were taken offline; Sorek A resumed operations later that day. By Tuesday evening, five plants were shut down again due to renewed turbidity, according to Israeli media. On Wednesday, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said a rare natural phenomenon had caused the first such shutdown in two decades, while Water Authority Director Yehezkel Lifshitz denied a cyber attack and attributed the event to an exceptional biological event, as reported by Army Radio. Experts cited by The Times of Israel subsequently called for a new national water masterplan to reduce reliance on coastal desalination and revive natural sources.
As The Zioneer reported in June, the government unveiled a 50-year plan to massively expand desalination capacity, aiming for 2.3 billion cubic meters annually by 2050. That plan centers on coastal facilities—the very infrastructure now shown to be vulnerable to natural disruptions.
What remains open is the timeline for full restoration of all plants and whether the government will heed expert and civil-society calls for a diversified water strategy that goes beyond coastal desalination.
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