Jews Consume 50% More Water Than
Arab Citizens
By Yair EttingerHaaretz
12 May, 2003
The average Jewish citizen of Israel consumes almost 50 percent more water than the average Arab citizen, according to a new study published Sunday by Mossawa, an Arab Israeli advocacy center.According to the study, every Jew consumes an average of 90 cubic meters of water each year, while for Arabs, average consumption is only 57 cubic meters.
The Mekorot Water Company attributed the disparity to the fact that water consumption generally rises with the standard of living, and Arab Israelis account for a disproportionate share of the country's poor. Mossawa added another factor: the poor state of the water infrastructure in many Arab towns. Some towns in the Galilee, for instance, have suffered from repeated disruptions in their water supply over the last few months.
Mekorot attributed these disruptions to the fact that these towns have not paid their water bills - which Mossawa blamed on the heavy deficits under which many Arab localities labor. But the study also highlighted another problem: It found that Arab towns generally succeed in collecting a mere 54 percent of what they bill residents for water use, while in Jewish towns, the collection rate is 70 percent.
The Water Commission suggested another possible explanation for the greater incidence of disruptions in supply in Arab towns: While the average Jewish town buys 9 to 10 percent more water from Mekorot than it sells, in Arab towns the gap averages 16.5 percent. Such discrepancies are caused by thefts of water, leaks or errors in meter readings.
The study was commissioned in order to determine whether privatizing the water supply system for Arab towns would help or hurt. Its conclusion was that privatization would significantly improve the level of service.