Mekorot National Water Company has signed an agreement with Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources to help rehabilitate aquifers, treat water, and prevent contamination. Mekorot chairman Shimon Ben-Hamo and Mexican National Water Commission chairman David Kornfeld signed the agreement on Monday in the presence of President Shimon Peres and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as part of a binational cooperation agreement.
Under the agreement, Mekorot will provide the National Water Commission with technical assistance to protect the quality of water in aquifers, rehabilitate underground water sources, and monitor the quality of recycled water. The first stage will include a survey and recommendations for purifying aquifers at a cost of NIS 20 million, followed by pilots and water treatment feasibility studies and the construction of water treatment plants.
Mekorot and the National Water Commission have selected ten aquifers which suffer from a range of contaminations and poor water quality, caused by the seepage of saline water, inorganic contamination from human activity, overuse of treated wastewater, contamination by pesticides in agricultural areas, and contamination by oil and gas in strategic locations. Mekorot will test the cause of pollution at the ten sites, decide whether it is reversible, and will recommend rehabilitation strategies.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 28, 2013
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