Sea Of Galilee Hits Lowest Level In Century As Drought Bites
Image by Haaretz
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Sea of Galilee is at its lowest level in a century after northern Israel experienced the driest February ever recorded.
The Israel Water Authority said Tuesday that the large freshwater lake, also known as Lake Kinneret, is 20 centimeters below the line experts consider acceptable for water quality. The sea received only 10 percent of its average rainfall in February.
The low level affects agriculture, wildlife and the environment, according to the authority, which has nearly completely halted pumping water from the Kinneret.
The water shortage in Israel’s north is expected to get worse in the summer, according to reports.
Other areas of Israel receive water from five desalination plants that take water from the Mediterranean Sea. Residents of the Galilee area have objected to a planned desalination plant.
Southern Israel received 90 to 120 percent of its average rainfall this year.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
