physical separation, water would
Fla., offering desalinat-
have to be shared.
ed water for 55 cents
This premise is at the core of a
per 1.3 cubic yard. In
paper prepared by a joint team of
Cyprus, there is a ten-
Israeli and Palestinian experts for the
der for 60 cents per
World Bank.
1.3 cubic yard. Even if
"It is clear to me that joint man-
you reckon 70 cents
agement increases the spec-
per 1.3 cubic
trum of sensible usage of
yard,
you
At righ t,Technion
water, which unilateral
would
need
student s and a
usage does not allow," said professo r monitor
$70 million
Uri Shamir, head of the
to desalinate
water quality in
Water Resources Institute
130 million
an Isra eli reser-
at the Technion-Israel
cubic yards of
voir.
Institute of Technology in
water annual-
Haifa.
ly. Divide this
At issue is the future handling of
amount by a popula-
three aquifers: the eastern mountain,
tion of 6 million, and
the northeastern and, most important-
you reach the cost of
ly, the central mountain, which is the
$11 per capita.
main source of ground water for
"Would you not
Israel.
buy such an insurance
The crucial central mountain
policy which would
aquifer does not know man-made bor-
guarantee the supply of drinking water
ders. It runs under both the
for that price?" Ben-Meir asked.
Palestinian Authority and Israel.
But the Cabinet has been dragging
Opponents of a territorial compro-
its feet on the issue, and so far has not
mise with the Palestinians argue that
passed a binding resolution.
Israel should keep control of the -
The main argument against
mountain aquifer region.
desalination is that its real cost will
Haim Gvirtzman of the Hebrew
be close to $1 per 1.3 cubic yard,
University supports continued Israeli
unlike Ben-Meir's more modest fore-
control of the eastern mountain
cast. Moreover, opponents argue that
aquifer. If the Palestinians get their
before desalinating sea water, one
water from that aquifer, he warned,
should desalinate saline ground
Israel would need to overpump the
water.
central mountain aquifer, which will
One of the main reasons for the
cause serious damage to the quality of
water shortage is the use of drinking
its water.
water by the agricultural sector, rather
Israel's water commissioner, Meir
than using recycled water. Farmers in
Ben-Meir, says of joint control: "Can
Israel use three times as much water as
two women take responsibility for one
non-farmers.
small kitchen?"
The JNF has kept itself busy find-
Whatever the political solution, it is
ing long-term, viable solutions to the
obvious that Israel needs to seek alter-
water crisis in Israel. The JNF recently
native sources of water. The choices
announced a $50 million plan to reha-
include desalination of sea water, recy-
bilitate Israel's polluted rivers. It has
cling sewage water, and importing
built more than 100 dams and reser-
water, most likely from Turkey.
voirs to cover 6 percent of Israel's total
Desalination of 130 million cubic
water supply.
yards a year is considered by some
Some 70 percent of 260_billion
experts to be the magic solution.
cubic yards of wastewater has already
Israel has already built 40 desalina-
been captured and recycled for non-
tion plants. All of Eilat drinks desali-
food crops. The JNF and the govern-
nated water.
ment are now working out a plan to
Now it is up to the government to
recycle all waste water.
decide in principle whether to push
Last year, a special advisory group
ahead with desalination projects. The
of the U.S. National Academy of
main lobbyists for this option are Eli
Sciences recommended that within 40
Suissa, Israel's national infrastructure
years, all fresh water in the Middle
minister, and Dalia Itzik, its environ-
East should be drinking water.
ment minister.
Agriculture will have to use treated
Another strong proponent of water
waste water and saline water.
desalination is Ben-Meir, the water
Otherwise, the American experts
commissioner.
warned, Israel and its neighbors will
"Make a simple calculation," he
run out of drinking water within five
said. "I know of tenders in Tampa,
years. ❑
k
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they get an ironcla d
think they can feel s
Eddie Witteldorf
have any feeling far if it
one hand, diey'vectottl
. teo‘ obtt p e r e
r han
they have the possi
greatest thing in tl
and be prepared.
Wendi Douville, JCC pool director, ate or :
we should hold on to it Israel is such a small . 1)lece of th e ,
Middle East, whatever we can hold on to is a good thing. I
mean, there's so much bad feeling among the. Arabs that; if
Wendi Douville we give up the land, who's to say they won't want more?"
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1/7
2000
19