Israeli Water Demand Puts Sea Of Galilee At Record Summer Low - Dropping 1-2 Cm/Day - FT

[hatrack]

EDIT

This summer both the water level and the mood of the people living by the Sea of Galilee are plunging to record lows. The country has suffered four successive seasons of drought, with rainfall no more than half the annual average. At the same time, Israel’s thirst for fresh water means the country continues to pump vast amounts of water from the lake to meet the needs of farmers, gardeners and ordinary citizens as far away as the Negev desert in the south.

The result is visible everywhere on the lake, which is falling by between one and two centimetres a day. On many beaches the sea has retreated by as much as 150 metres, forcing swimmers to pick their way across an ever-expanding stretch of pebbles.

The small port at Kibbutz Ein Gev has the unhealthy appearance of a pit, with the boats nestling four metres below the boarding planks. In about four weeks, says Mr Onn, the port will have become so shallow that boats will not be able to enter at all.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to do,” says Moshe Francis, the manager of the kibbutz’s shipping operations. “We can’t leave our boats out on the lake at night because the insurance company will not allow it.” The boats will most probably be docked in another port soon, he adds, meaning they can no longer bring visitors from the tourist hub of Tiberias on the other side of the lake.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4efd6090-705f-11dd-b514-0000779fd18c,s01=1.html?nclick_check=1

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I am hoping that water condensers/collectors are featured in every home soon.