Israel's Water Crisis Expected to Persist Amidst Algal Bloom

Israel is facing a severe and prolonged water crisis, with experts disputing optimistic official statements about its resolution. The current water supply, including tap water and agricultural needs, is maintained by depleting limited freshwater reserves, lowering the water level of the Sea of Galilee, and reactivating previously closed artesian wells. Despite assurances of restored water supply to farmers and availability at taps, the situation remains critical. Algal contamination is widespread and expected to persist long-term, impacting water quality. Only one of Israel's six desalination plants is operating at full capacity, with two others functioning partially. The Ashdod and Ashkelon plants remain offline with no clear prospects for reactivation, a fact even acknowledged in cautious statements by the Water Authority and Energy Minister Eli Cohen. Specialists are still investigating the causes of the water problems and the unprecedented algal bloom, with no official link established to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. This comes after a previous incident where over a million Israelis were urged to conserve water following a major disruption to the national desalination system due to deteriorating seawater quality, which halted five of the six plants.