The Cabinet approved an emergency plan to increase the production of desalinated war in Israel by operating desalination facilities around the clock. This is in order to deal with the crisis in the water economy and ensure the orderly supply of water to residents of Israel, while maintaining existing sources of water. Increasing the quantity of desalinated water will lead to the production of approximately 420 million cubic meters in 2013, a larger quantity than that drawn annually from the Sea of Galilee.
It was decided that the Water Authority will work to reduce the effects of pollution and to rehabilitate the sources of water in Israel. It was also decided to advance a plan to establish reservoirs of treated wastewater for use by a number of agricultural communities.
Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that a proposal to build an additional desalination facility in Ashdod, as well as additional steps to deal with the crisis in the water economy, be submitted for Cabinet approval in the coming weeks