Water disruptions reach central Israel as desalination facilities remain offline

Key Points:

• A widespread malfunction at Israel’s desalination facilities, caused by severe seawater turbidity likely linked to stormy conditions and algae buildup, has led to potential water supply disruptions in central Israel, including reduced pressure and outages in some areas.
• Five of the country’s six desalination plants were forced to shut down, prompting water conservation warnings for residents in affected regions such as Givatayim, Jerusalem, and Rishon Lezion, with public appeals to limit water use to essential needs.
• Agricultural sectors in southern Israel, including the Eshkol and Ramat Negev Regional Councils, have been asked to reduce or halt irrigation, while Mekorot increased alternative water production efforts to mitigate shortages.
• The Gezer Regional Council imposed immediate restrictions on watering private gardens and agricultural areas to preserve household water supplies, warning that more communities could face outages.
• Water companies serving Jerusalem and Rishon Lezion are coordinating with authorities to manage the situation, promising updates on water distribution points and urging residents not to stockpile water prematurely.