Plan to pump desalinated water to Sea of Galilee may open diplomatic floodgates
"...- But since the first desalination plant started operations in 2005, Israel has needed to pump less and less water from the Sea of Galilee for drinking and agriculture, and today very little water is withdrawn from the freshwater lake. The majority of Israel’s drinking water — some 70 percent — now comes from the coastal desalination plants, especially those in the southern cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. After 60 years, the need for water to flow from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the rest of the country in the south is more or less gone.
- In 2001-2002, Israel used 513 million cubic meters of treated water from the Sea of Galilee for homes, farms and business around the country. In 2018-2019, the country used only 25 million cubic meters.
- Israel is a world leader in recycling wastewater, with approximately 87% of the country’s wastewater treated and recycled, providing vast water resources for farmers. Currently, about 50% of the country’s agriculture grows on treated wastewater, according to EcoPeace, an Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian environmental organization that advocates for better water policies in the region.
- Israel desalinates around 600 million cubic meters of water per year at five desalination plants. This, together with the recycled wastewater, means that technology is responsible for approximately a billion cubic meters of water yearly — 50% of Israel’s domestic needs. Two more plants are being built.
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