Israel’s Water Shortage Problem 

2009-10-05 06:36

 

Whether from climate change or lack of rain, Israel has a severe water shortage problem.

Private houses were asked to dry a part of their gardens and to use less water, and as a deterrent the price of water was sharply increased.

 

One way to solve the problem of insufficient water is to recycle water that has already been used at home – commonly called "Gray Water."

[Eran Machness, "Twice",Water Recycling Company]:
"Gray Water comes from showers, sinks, washing machines and air conditioners. The amount of pollution in this water is low, so it's relatively easy  to divert it to garden irrigation. There is still a fear that the water has bacteria, therefore the water serves mainly decorative, non-edible plants. The exceptions are trees, mainly citrus, because trees have a system of natural filtration that enables us to eat their fruits."

The "Twice" company specializes in the production of two systems of Gray Water purification. One simulates a swamp with plants and stones, and the second is based on filtration.

[Avner Akerman, Municipal Engineer, Ganey Tikva]:
"Gray Water from the apartments and from all the projects behind us flows into an underground system. Actually, under the ground, plant roots work at decomposing all the organisms and the bacteria that exists in the Gray Water that we’re looking to destroy. The water reaches a high level of purification and then we’re able to use it for whatever we’d like. In this special project we decided that the flora will be a scenery element."

But it seems the Health Ministry office is disinclined to using Gray Water.

[David Goldberg, Wastewater Expert, Health Ministry]:
"Gray Water is sewage that exits the house from all sources except the toilet bowl. Gray Water is sewage, with all it implies, and contains a variety of microorganisms. It is very important to know that the use of Gray Water is dangerous, dangerous to the health. Gray Water may seem harmless but is very dangerous for use and we do not recommend using it. In spite of the shortage in water and the high levy on water, the Gray Water solution can endanger one's health and people should avoid using it".

As it turns out the problem is not that simple.

The shortage of water in Israel is a fact.

The possibility of reusing Gray Water is achievable and without high costs — this is also a fact.

Will an optimal solution to using Gray Water be found?

 

Israela Yablonka, NTD, Israel.