Holiday

Israel's Water:
Economic Issue

I

prefers desalinated water
srael will not have a
Students monitor
water shortage prob-
the quality of recy- because it does not contain
the minerals and chemicals
lem if it views water as
cled water in a
an economic commod- northern reservoir. that have to be removed
from tap water.
ity with a price, according to
The research was con-
a study by Technion-Israel
ducted
as
part
of the "Peace in the
Institute of Technology researcher.
Middle East" project in cooperation
The researcher used a macro-economic
with Tel Aviv University.
(-)-/
model to study Israel's water issues,
the first time such a model was used.
It is commonly believed that Israel
is threatened by severe regional water
shortage. But through desalination
and by diverting water from agricul-
Dozens of varieties of rare coral are
ture to household and municipal use,
being nursed back to health by a team
it can meet the growing demand.
of rangers and a marine biologist form,_,
While the cost of water will be higher,
the coral reef reserve in Eilat after a
the issue is one of economics rather
glass-bottomed boat hit a protected
than survival, says Prof. Benjamin
coral reef there.
Bental, and economist in the
The coral reef, also known as
Technion's Faculty of Industrial
"Japanese Gardens," is popular
Engineering and Management.
among divers and tourists for its vast
The macro-economic model used
selection of rare branching and mas-
by Professor Bental studies a represen-
sive, stony corals.
tative household whose conduct is
The boat's propellers hit a large
based on rational decision-making.
knoll and the boat drifted toward
This household is used to represent
the national economy.
shore breaking the coral reef in five
different places. The damaged coral
Rational decision making means
fragments were collected and exposed
the willingness to cede one thing to
to optimal lighting and temperature
gain another. The Israeli representative
in a recovery tank promoting regen-
household is willing to "give up grow-
eration. Many of them are presently
ing some agricultural produce that
being glued back to the reef with
requires large quantities of water, and
a special environmentally friendly
use this water for household and
glue.
municipal purposes,"explains Professor
This is the fourth incident in the
Bental. "In the future, the representa-
tive household will also be more will-
past three years that a tourist boat has
ing to direct national resources
drifted into the area and damaged the
towards desalination."
reef, although its borders are clearly
marked by buoys. The penalty for
Within 10 ye:....., as the urban use
of water grows due to population
damaging a protected natural asset in
growth and a higher standard of liv-
Israel can reach over $10,000 or three
year's imprisonment.
ing, desalination will become econom-
ically viable. An important client of
desalination will be industry, which
— WZPS

Coral Reef
In Eilat

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clients, friends and families...
oar best wishes for a year
filled with happiness,
health and prosperity.

K

Kaufman
Insurance and
Financial Planning Group

Jerald Kaufman, CLU, ChEC

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9/26
1997

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