Israel’s desalination crisis threatens 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops
Five of the country’s six desalination plants south of Hadera were shut down Tuesday morning because of unusually turbid seawater, putting farmers near the Egyptian border under immediate pressure.
The water crisis continued Tuesday morning, with five of the six desalination plants along Israel’s coastline south of Hadera shut down because of unusually high turbidity in seawater, caused in part by microalgae drifting from the Nile region of Egypt.
The shutdown is threatening approximately 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops in Nitzana near the Egyptian border. The area produces roughly 2 million tons of vegetables, according to the Ramat Negev Regional Council.
The collapse of the desalination system has created a severe water shortage in Nitzana, where dozens of farmers rely on desalinated water for 80%-90% of their supply.
Farmers in the area have completed planting tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants and other vegetables over the past two weeks. They are now entering a critical stage that requires approximately 1,500 cubic meters of water per hour for irrigation.
But Mekorot was supplying only 300-500 cubic meters per hour Tuesday morning.
“If water is not pumped in the coming hours, like injecting oxygen into a patient, the entire season will collapse,” Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, told Calcalist. “There will be no vegetables, the cost of living will rise, and dozens of farming families will enter a huge economic crisis, following loans they took out towards the start of the season.”
Doron said the crisis poses a broader threat beyond the farmers themselves.
“This is a real threat of harm to food security, the cost of living and the supply of fresh food production in Israel, as well as harm to the livelihoods of farmers and the economic future of the region,” he said.
The crisis began after five of the six desalination plants along the coast were shut down because of the abnormal turbidity. The Hadera plant remained operational, while the desalination plants at Sorek, near Palmachim, resumed operations for several hours overnight before being shut down again Tuesday morning.
The Water Authority has defined the event as exceptional and is examining whether it was caused by rough seas in recent days combined with a large drift of algae from the Nile region. Its assessment is based, among other things, on an analysis of satellite images.
The authority said it would continue monitoring the spread of the algae in the seawater. Because of their small size, the algae could penetrate the filters used by the desalination plants.
Following the unusual event, Mekorot instructed that the supply of fresh water to farmers in southern Israel be halted, leaving them without an immediate alternative source of water.
The Water Authority and Mekorot have also instructed water corporations in local authorities to reduce water consumption in public spaces, including the watering of gardens and lawns.
The restrictions do not apply to household water consumption. According to the authorities, the water flowing through the domestic supply network remains safe to drink, and no directive has been issued to store water.
