Water Policy in Israel

Abstract

It seems to be fairly commonly understood in Israel that governmental water policy is harmful and produces waste and misallocation. Existing water policy was the target of an extremely critical report by Israel’s state comptroller, published in December, 1990. Among the conclusions of that report were: “Irresponsible management of the water supply for 25 years has caused the destruction of the water reserves of Israel and serious damage to water quality. Excess pumping from water reserves over many years has caused a hydrological deficit of the most severe proportions.” It has also been recognized, including overseas, that Israel’s water policy also threatens severe ecological damages.3 This past year’s State Comptroller’s Report (2000) spent considerable time criticizing the failure of the government to prevent pollution of the country’s water resources with contaminants. In May 2000 the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Water Commissioner released information on infiltration of types of contaminants that had not been previously documented in the coastal aquifer. These included carcinogenic substances and poisonous materials unsafe for fetuses. In the year ending October 1999 eight wells in the coastal aquifer were closed by the Ministry of Health and others were declared hazardous. Before the press in Israel broke the news, the Ministry of Health and the Water Commissioner had issued orders to keep the findings regarding the contaminants secret. In typical Israeli fashion, the government bureaucracy seeks to prevent access to information of any sort, especially if it is embarrassing.