Israel's Water Sector Returns to Full Operation After Unusual Turbidity

Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, announced on Wednesday evening that the country's water sector has returned to full operational capacity. The disruption, caused by unusually high turbidity in seawater, had led to the temporary shutdown of most desalination facilities.

Cohen stated that despite the impact on desalination plants, the water supply to households remained uninterrupted throughout the event. Furthermore, water supply to the agricultural sector, which had been reduced, was fully restored on Tuesday.

The return to normal operations was facilitated by a series of coordinated actions. These included intensive efforts to bring the desalination facilities back online, increasing water pumping from the Sea of Galilee and boreholes, and replenishing water reservoirs. The minister described the water turbidity as an "unusual natural phenomenon" that tested the resilience of the water system.

Cohen expressed gratitude to the employees of the Water Authority, Mekorot (Israel's national water company), and the Ministry of Energy for their dedicated work in resolving the situation. He emphasized that the sector's ability to continue functioning under such extraordinary conditions demonstrated its robustness.