Israel's Desalination Crisis: Committee Demands Answers on Reduced Output

A special Knesset committee convened to discuss the crisis affecting Israel's seawater desalination facilities and their oversight. The meeting was prompted by an unusual event in late August, where a harmful algal bloom and extreme turbidity in the sea led to the shutdown or reduced operation of five of the six major desalination plants.

Ezekiel Lipschitz, Director General of the Water Authority, reported that while the Hadera plant is operating at full and even increased capacity, the other five are functioning at only partial capacity. Consequently, daily water production is currently at about 60% of the normal output. This deficit is being compensated by increased pumping from the Sea of Galilee and from groundwater wells. The Water Authority is preparing for a scenario where this reduced desalination capacity could persist until the end of 2026.

Representatives from the State Comptroller's office highlighted that in 2024, 225 million cubic meters of desalination capacity were unused, producing approximately 540 million cubic meters against a licensed capacity of about 800 million cubic meters. This unused capacity is equivalent to one-third of the Sea of Galilee's available water volume. The committee also learned that the Water Authority has not yet completed a comprehensive master plan for the water economy. Furthermore, between 2018 and 2023, the Ministry of Health failed to conduct the required annual inspections at any desalination facility.

Adding to the concerns, the Sea of Galilee's water level is currently 0.41 meters below the lower red line as of September 2026. Yossi Dayan, Director General of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, assured that water supply to homes was never compromised and there was no real danger, dismissing rumors of a cyberattack as baseless.

Committee chair MK Alon Schuster warned of a growing deficit in natural water reserves, emphasizing the need to avoid sole reliance on desalination and maintain the Sea of Galilee and aquifers as strategic backups. The committee resolved to hold a follow-up meeting to monitor the crisis response, the implementation of the State Comptroller's findings, and the water economy's preparedness for future prolonged shutdowns.