"Water Authority models predict a drought this year, possibly a severe drought," Water Authority chairman Uri Shani told a conference of water and sewage companies. "Other countries with climates similar to ours already have real problems in supplying water to people. There are neighborhoods in Amman and Damascus that receive water by tankers just once a week. The same is true in parts of Cyprus, which is a member of the EU.
"Israel was in the past very close to such problems, but a series of measures have enabled it instead to be where it is now compared with these countries."
Shani said that if the forecasts materialize, there will be no alternative to undertaking water conservation measures, such as the ones taken due to droughts in recent years. "Israel reacted to the water shortage with a number of measures, including campaigns to increase public awareness, the drought tax, and the raising of consumption tariffs, which were hard to bear but essential, because without them we would not have been able to supply water, and raising rates for the watering of public parks," he said.
Shani said that these measures greatly increased water discipline. "It is a fact that public parks are still green and flourishing, but in contrast to what we experienced before, water is no longer flowing down the streets, and there is no waste."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 5, 2010
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