Kinneret rose in December, January, but still very low

Israel has suffered serious droughts for the last five years. While this winter has seen some impressive rain, the overall water deficit is too high to be made up in just one year, the Water Authority cautioned.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
kinneret 88 (photo credit: )
kinneret 88
(photo credit: )
Lake Kinneret rose a total of 87 cm. in December and January to 213.44 below sea level, the Water Authority said Sunday, after employees returned to work following a two-month strike, during which no data was released about the lake’s water levels.
The Kinneret rose 30 cm. in December and another 57 cm. in January. That half-meter rise made January 2010 the best January for rainfall in the last five years, it said.
At the same time, the Water Authority warned that despite the increase the Kinneret was still 4.64 meters from being full and that there is no justification for complacency.
Israel has suffered serious droughts for the last five years. While this winter has seen some impressive rain, the overall water deficit is too high to be made up in just one year, the Water Authority cautioned.
With no guarantee that another five years of drought are not just around the corner, Israel has moved aggressively in its efforts to build desalination plants that can manufacture drinking water.