Water restrictions continue into second day as most Israeli desalination plants shut down again

Water restrictions have persisted for the second consecutive day across Israel as most of its desalination plants remain shut down. This comes after a further rise in seawater turbidity prompted the Water Authority and Energy and Infrastructure Ministry to announce the shutdown on Tuesday morning. According to the authorities, water usage for public landscaping and agriculture will be reduced, and efforts will be made to minimize other public water consumption.

However, water supplies to homes will continue uninterrupted. In locations grappling with localized supply issues, the extent of water use limitations will be adjusted accordingly. Meanwhile, the Water Authority's operations center will work to address individual disruptions as they arise.

The consequences of a large-scale malfunction at Israel's desalination facilities reached central Israel on Monday. Residents of Givatayim were cautioned that water supply disruptions could materialize in the hours ahead, encompassing reduced water pressure and even temporary outages in specific regions. The warning conveyed to residents read: "Following problems with the water supply in the national water network, disruptions to water supply may occur in the coming hours, including reduced pressure and water outages in certain areas.

We ask the public to conserve water as much as possible and use water only for essential needs until normal operations resume."

This situation unfolded amidst an unprecedented disruption to Israel's national water network. Five out of the six desalination facilities were compelled to shut down. According to Yehezkel Lifshitz, Director-General of the Water Authority, severe seawater turbidity that commenced over the weekend and propagated from south to north has impeded the facilities' ability to filter and process water efficiently.