Israel thinks about buying water from Turkey once again as an option to overcome water shortage, the worst in the country over the past ten years.
Officials of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), established to help alleviate the national water shortage, discussed whether or not water import from Turkey could be feasible.
Turkey and Israel once agreed on water trade to ship fresh water from Turkey to Israel –via either a pipeline or tankers– but the project was put on ice as it was considered too costly and non-operable.
The Fund is in talks with Turkish and Israeli governments, as well as Israeli companies, to revive the idea of carrying Turkish water to Israel, said Russel Robinson, an official from the JNF.
Israeli officials believe that it is almost impossible to find investors for projects to desalinate sea water amid global financial downturn. JNF officials said water import would be a feasible alternative.
Before recent rainfall since the beginning of March, analyst had said the country could face the worst water crisis in 80 years due to dry winter.
TEL AVIV (A.A)
Source: www.turkishweekly.net, 14 March 2009