Public Health Aspects of
Waste Water Utilization in Israel
HILLEL I. SHUVAL - Chief Sanitary Engineer*
Ministry of Health,
Israel
INTRODUCTION
Israel's total water resources are very limited and even with complete
utilization of all natural water sources there will remain relatively large undeveloped areas of arable land thirsting for water. The limited sources of
water supplies are being taxed to the maximum by the rapidly developing
agricultural and industrial economy. Today over 85 per cent of the country's
natural water reserves are being utilized and in the next few years the remaining reserves will be tapped to their fullest. With the water situation as
it is, every potential water source must be utilized to its maximum. Early
in the planning stages of the Israel master water plan the reuse of domestic
and industrial waste water was taken into consideration as a possible source
for supplementing the country's water reserves. This paper will deal with the
public health aspects of waste water utilization in Israel and some of the
engineering problems involved in this program.
ISRAEL'S WATER RESOURCES
Israel is a small country on the eastern end of the Mediterranean with a
population of some 2, 200, 000 in 1962. The total land area is about 8, 000
square miles and is approximately equal in size to the state of New Jersey.
The country is 260 miles long and 70 miles wide at its widest point. The
rainfall distribution is seasonal with a vast majority of the rain falling during
the five-month period during the winter months with the remaining seven
months being almost completely dry. In the northern and central portions of
the country, the average rainfall varies from 20 to 30 ins /year with the
annual rainfall decreasing southward. At Beersheba the raintall averages
8 ins. /year and at the southernmost point, the port of Elath, on the Gulf of
Agaba, only about one in. of rainfall can be expected and in some years
there is no rain at all.
It is estimated that the total water reserves of the country from all
natural sources will supply about 437,000 million gals/year. (1, 650 million
cu m/year). This figure is based on maximum utilization of all perennial
rivers and springs, ground water and impoundment of flood flows (1). The
major portion ofthe water will be devoted to agricultural irrigation during the
dry seasons of the year to allow for the intensive agricultural development.
Urban use averaged about 73 gals/cap/day (275 1/cap/day) in 1961 or 2650
gals/cap/year. The program for waste water utilization is based primarily on
the reuse of a portion ofthe water supplied for urban and industrial use. The
figure used for planning purposes is based on a future population estimate of
* 1961-62 on leave as Visiting Associate Professor in Public Health Engineering, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan.
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