The Israel water experience
Israel and water? Right…
The Israeli government’s water website now has a page where you can check back daily in order to see how much the Kinneret – our main water source, located in the Galilee – has gone up or down.
It makes sense this exists online because an integral part of the Israel experience is living in a parched country, always being careful how we choose to use our water because it’s such a limited resource. When I was in the midst of deciding whether or not I wanted to move back to Israel a few months ago, one of the things that made me very nervous was the thought of living in a country with so little water after spending three years in British Columbia, of all places! Who could compare the two when it comes to water supply (not to mention quality).
A lake on Vancouver Island (Photo by Deena Levenstein)
I went on a trip to Vancouver Island shortly after I arrived in Vancouver. This island is larger than Israel (just an fyi) and is covered with huge quantities of fresh water. The photo above is one of the many lakes we passed as we drove from one coast to the other. I felt like I saw more water travelling across the island in a few hours than one will ever see in Israel. This while Vancouver Island’s population is around 741,000 and Israel’s population is approximately 7,465,000.
Aquaphers is the man-made water source in the desert. They catch rain water. (Photo by Deena Levenstein)
Israel relies very heavily on percipitation for water. The rain in the winter fills up our reserves to get us through the year. The problem is that for years now it hasn’t been raining enough. Because of this, every time it rains here, it’s big news.
In the next couple of days we’re supposedly heading into some real wintery weather. Lets hope it brings us lots of rain!
Check it the government’s site here!
