מילים חדשות

For most of its history, Israel was a thirsty country. Rain falls only in winter, and in some years it hardly falls at all. In the dry years at the beginning of this century, the level of the Sea of Galilee dropped so low that people feared it would never recover. Farmers received less water, and the government asked families to take shorter showers.

Today the situation is very different. Along the Mediterranean coast stand several huge plants that take in sea water and remove the salt. This process, desalination, is not new, but Israel built some of the largest and most efficient plants in the world. As a result, a large part of the drinking water in Israeli homes now comes from the sea.

The country also saves water in other ways. Most of the water that goes down our sinks and toilets is cleaned and used again in agriculture. No other country uses as much of its waste water again as Israel does. Many farmers use drip irrigation, an Israeli invention that delivers small drops of water straight to the roots of each plant, so almost nothing is wasted.

However, desalination has its disadvantages. The plants need enormous amounts of electricity, and most of that electricity still comes from burning gas. The very salty water that is left after the process goes back into the sea, and scientists are studying how it affects sea life. Some doctors have also pointed out that water from the plants lacks certain minerals that the body needs.

Still, most experts agree that the plants have changed the country's future. A shortage of water no longer threatens daily life as it once did. A country that once worried about every drop now even provides water to its neighbour, Jordan.

For most of its history, Israel was a thirsty country. Rain falls only in winter, and in some years it hardly falls at all. In the dry years at the beginning of this century, the level of the Sea of Galilee dropped so low that people feared it would never recover. Farmers received less water, and the government asked families to take shorter showers.

Today the situation is very different. Along the Mediterranean coast stand several huge plants that take in sea water and remove the salt. This process, desalination, is not new, but Israel built some of the largest and most efficient plants in the world. As a result, a large part of the drinking water in Israeli homes now comes from the sea.

The country also saves water in other ways. Most of the water that goes down our sinks and toilets is cleaned and used again in agriculture. No other country uses as much of its waste water again as Israel does. Many farmers use drip irrigation, an Israeli invention that delivers small drops of water straight to the roots of each plant, so almost nothing is wasted.

However, desalination has its disadvantages. The plants need enormous amounts of electricity, and most of that electricity still comes from burning gas. The very salty water that is left after the process goes back into the sea, and scientists are studying how it affects sea life. Some doctors have also pointed out that water from the plants lacks certain minerals that the body needs.

Still, most experts agree that the plants have changed the country's future. A shortage of water no longer threatens daily life as it once did. A country that once worried about every drop now even provides water to its neighbour, Jordan.

For most of its history, Israel was a thirsty country. Rain falls only in winter, and in some years it hardly falls at all. In the dry years at the beginning of this century, the level of the Sea of Galilee dropped so low that people feared it would never recover. Farmers received less water, and the government asked families to take shorter showers.

Today the situation is very different. Along the Mediterranean coast stand several huge plants that take in sea water and remove the salt. This process, desalination, is not new, but Israel built some of the largest and most efficient plants in the world. As a result, a large part of the drinking water in Israeli homes now comes from the sea.

The country also saves water in other ways. Most of the water that goes down our sinks and toilets is cleaned and used again in agriculture. No other country uses as much of its waste water again as Israel does. Many farmers use drip irrigation, an Israeli invention that delivers small drops of water straight to the roots of each plant, so almost nothing is wasted.

However, desalination has its disadvantages. The plants need enormous amounts of electricity, and most of that electricity still comes from burning gas. The very salty water that is left after the process goes back into the sea, and scientists are studying how it affects sea life. Some doctors have also pointed out that water from the plants lacks certain minerals that the body needs.

Still, most experts agree that the plants have changed the country's future. A shortage of water no longer threatens daily life as it once did. A country that once worried about every drop now even provides water to its neighbour, Jordan.