Water restrictions continue into second day as most Israeli desalination plants shut down again

Most of Israel's desalination facilities were shut down again on Tuesday morning due to increased seawater turbidity, marking the second consecutive day of widespread malfunctions. The Water Authority and Energy and Infrastructure Ministry stated that local authorities would reduce water use for public landscaping and agriculture, and cut other public consumption. While water supplies to homes are expected to continue, localized disruptions may lead to reduced water pressure or outages in specific areas, as experienced in Givatayim on Monday. Water Authority Director-General Yehezkel Lifshitz attributed the shutdowns to "severe seawater turbidity that began over the weekend and moved from south to north," preventing normal operation of five out of six national desalination plants. Residents were asked to "conserve water as much as possible and use water only for essential needs until normal operations resume."