Lake Kinneret Approaching the 'Red Line'

[דוד בן זאב אריה]

by Hana Levi Julian
 
The water level in Lake Kinneret is only 18 centimeters (seven inches) away from the "red line", the mark at which water quality is jeopardized and at which Israel declares an official water shortage.

The water level will pass beneath the red line in about two weeks if the lake continues to decline according to normal rates of depletion.

At present, the water level is slightly more than two meters (80 inches) away from the "black line", the mark at which pumps will be above water and unable to function.

If the winter rains arrive on time, the Kinneret will not reach that point – but this year, it will be dangerous close, due to the current conditions, which resulted from last year's sparse rainfall. 

Water management experts have said it will take at least two or three consecutive winters of higher-than-average rainfall to overcome the deficit in the Kinneret and in underground acquifers.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has produced a tip sheet on its website that lists water conservation methods to be used by members of the Israeli public.  The list includes water-saving measures to be implemented at home as well as at work and on the municipal level.

[AussieJTFer]

This is why Israel needs to capture Southern Lebanon and divert the waters of the Litani river into the upper Jordan.