Water Supply Restored to All Consumers After Algae Crisis

Israel's Ministry of Infrastructure and the Water Authority announced on Sunday that water systems have stabilized, and water supply to all residents and the agricultural sector is now unrestricted. Farmers in the Nitzana plain and the Shephelah, whose crops were at risk due to water disruptions, confirmed that water flow has returned to normal. The ministry attributed the recovery to a combination of dynamic operation at desalination facilities and increased water flow from the Sea of Galilee and hundreds of wells nationwide.

As consumption is expected to decrease towards the weekend, particularly in the business sector, the Mekorot water company will continue to heavily replenish national reservoirs to ensure full capacity and maximum redundancy for the upcoming week. The ministry also stated that "localized dispersal of permitted substances into the sea" was conducted with approval from an inter-ministerial committee of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health. This action was taken to combat algae that were penetrating filtration systems and causing the crisis.

According to the ministry, the substances pose no danger to swimmers, and environmental monitoring is currently underway in the affected area. The Ministry of Health has imposed a fishing ban in the treated zone as a precautionary measure until monitoring results are received. The ministry emphasized that fish in markets and bathing beaches are safe, and drinking water is completely safe for consumption and domestic use.