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Algae bloom that crippled Israel's desalination plants raises water security concerns
bbc.com • • world
Key Points:
- Nearly all of Israel's major desalination plants experienced an outage due to a massive bloom of microalgae in the Mediterranean Sea, which clogged filters and reduced plant capacity to 50%.
- The microalgae bloom, originating from the Nile Delta and fueled by high temperatures and nutrient-rich waters, has persisted for almost three weeks, raising concerns about future water security.
- Experts link the algae growth to untreated sewage from Gaza, where outdated sewage infrastructure has been worsened by Israeli restrictions and recent conflict-related damage.
- Israel's desalination plants provide over 60% of the country's drinking water, and while most households were unaffected, some farmers faced irrigation challenges.
- The incident highlights vulnerabilities in desalination technology and serves as a warning for water security in the Middle East, with Israel being a global leader in desalination technology development and export.
