Mekorot Water Company workers repaired a faulty water pipeline Wednesday that has failed to supply water for the past 48 hours to tens of thousands of residents of settlements and Palestinian villages in the Dolev-Talmonim and Nili Na'aleh areas in the West Bank.

Escorted by security, the Mekorot workers repaired the Kiryat Sefer-Herevta-Dolev water pipeline and restored the water supply to the homes of some ten thousand settlers and tens of thousands of Palestinians.

The emergency reservoir planned for Talmon has yet to be built, due to Defense Minister Amir Peretz's refusal to authorize the project.

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Peretz contends that the emergency reservoir is slated to be built in an area for which an urban construction plan has not been officially filed, and therefore the area is essentially being developed without a permit. Peretz is also refusing to authorize a "pinpoint" construction plan that would give permission to build the reservoir, as is accepted procedure in such cases.

In recent months, there have been several water stoppages in the area, which in recent years has seen significant population growth, primarily among the Palestinians.

The Binyamin Regional Council distributed water tanks Tuesday to the affected settlements.