Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., December 19, 2008 Kislev 22, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:34 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Desal plants to slake one-third of country's thirst by 2013 By Zafrir Rinat Israel's economy will become much less dependent on water from Lake Kinneret over the next five years, due to a massive increase in desalination, National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer told a conference on renewable energy yesterday. "In 2013, Israel's desalination capabilities will reach some 600 million cubic meters," he told the conference, which took place in Kibbutz Shefayim. That number will constitute about one-third of Israel's total water usage and is about 4.5 times the volume of water the country currently desalinates. Advertisement Ben-Eliezer blamed the Finance Ministry for the current water crisis, saying it prevented the needed desalination plants from being built sooner. Between the plants themselves and pipelines to transport the desalinated water to the rest of the country, the total investment over the next five years will exceed NIS 10 billion. Much of the funding is already anchored in cabinet decisions. Meanwhile, a state commission of inquiry on water resources yesterday gave the Water Authority 10 days to present it with a detailed report on how it plans to cope with the current shortage. The commission, whose mandate is to produce long-term recommendations rather than dealing with the immediate crisis, said it nevertheless took this step because it was appalled by the data it has received about the low level of Israel's water reserves, which is liable to lead to severe disruptions in the water supply over the coming year. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel charged yesterday that had a water saving plan prepared by the Water Authority three years ago not been shelved, some 400 million cubic meters of water would have been saved. Had the NIS 147 million plan gone forward, the Kinneret's level would now be 2.4 meters higher, the group claimed. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Picking up the pieces U.S. Jews ponder 'catastrophic' effects of Bernard Madoff affair. Little Adolf Three-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake.

Read & React 3-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake Responses: 177 Barak: Iran could attack the U.S. with a nuclear bomb Responses: 132 Britain steps up fight against West Bank settlements Responses: 180 Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs Israelis who shun IDF draft Responses: 68 Jews of Yemen reportedly to be relocated in wake of deadly attack Responses: 33 More Headlines 00:14 Israel: We hold Hamas responsible for any future Gaza violence 01:10 Olmert: It is possible to negotiate peace deal with Syria 01:12 Eilat crash driver under house arrest; bodies of Russian victims flown home 23:34 Labor youth hand out condoms to avoid being 'screwed by Netanyahu' 02:32 Shady land deal unfolds from West Bank to California strip mall 00:04 IN PICTURES / The victims of Bernard Madoff's fraud scam 00:04 Palestinian journalists protest for release of Iraqi colleague who threw shoes at Bush 20:29 Want to help improve the Haaretz.com homepage? 01:54 Bush, Rice to host Palestinian leader Abbas in goodbye visit 22:28 Radioactive bomb-detection system installed in Haifa port 01:41 Netanyahu to Sarkozy: Israel can`t accept ongoing Gaza rocket fire 01:14 VIDEO / Hadassah Women: We lost $90 million in Madoff's Wall Street scam 15:53 School teacher dies after falling eight meters into Golan Heights stream 12:11 Israel bites back at UN watchdog over alleged strike on Syria reactor 10:59 Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs Israelis who shun IDF enlistment 14:46 Dozens of police officers injured in botched civil unrest drill 10:17 Exclusive Jewish country club feels the sting of Madoff fraud Previous Editions Select Day 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 15 dec 14 dec 12 dec 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 08 dec 07 dec 05 dec

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