To mark International Water Day on March 22, Mekorot National Water Company has published a comprehensive survey by Geocartography Knowledge Ltd., which examined the public's attitude to water, and its familiarity with the Israeli water economy. The survey covered a representative example of 500 respondents.
The survey found that 70% of the public prefer to drink tap water. Some respondents said that they usually use home filter systems. 28% of respondents said that they drink mineral water, and 65% said they believed that tap water was healthier than mineral water.
The survey found that, despite the heavy winter rains, the public continues to conserve. 85% of the respondents said that water conservation measures should continue, while 8% believe that it is possible to conserve less. 82% of respondents believe that seawater desalination will contribute greatly to the water economy, and 52% say that the quality of desalinated water is equal to the quality of tap water, or even better.
Even as the Water Authority celebrates the end of the drought and the improvement in Israel's water sources, Zalul Environmental Association, which has led public campaigns to protect water sources, called on the authorities to act quickly to rehabilitate rivers. It cited a report by the State Comptroller from late 2011, which states that no river has been rehabilitated in the past 20 years.
Zalul campaign manager Dalia Tal said, "Israel's rivers continue to serve as drainage ditches for sewage and low quality treated wastewater. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Water Authority have spoken for years about the need to rehabilitate the rivers, but in practice, the rehabilitation is limping along, and is mostly focused on the river banks, rather than the water."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 22, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012