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Water supply to Arab sector cut off due to local councils’ debts
While Arab sector residents pay water bills, local authorities fail to settle outstanding debt to Mekorot Water Company, forcing it to cuts off supply to Arab towns. Citizens for Environment organization claims it biased act, saying they don’t recall such measures being taken against Jewish sector
Sharon Roffe-Ofir
At least 23 Arabs towns have had their water supply cut off in the past few years due to the local authorities’ outstanding debts to Mekorot, Israel's National Water Company. A recent survey conducted by the non-profit organization Citizens for the Environment (CFE) in the Galilee portrays a rather somber picture of the treatment of Arab population in Israel. A few organizations and associations are planning a rally this coming Sunday, in protest against what they call "collective punishment".
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Rama village cannot recall a summer as hot as this one, especially since its residents have had to spend four days without any water last week. The local authority finally reached an agreement Wednesday with Mekorot, but in the few days leading to that agreement, Rama’s residents had to make do with water from air conditioners or bottled water.
“You wake up in the morning, open the tap and realize there is no water,” said one of the residents, who had experienced living without water a number of times. “I took a bottle of water from the fridge and washed my daughter’s face. When I came home in the afternoon, I had to drive my family to Nazareth in order to shower. Not to mention laundry and cooking. I don’t recall hearing about incidents like that in a Jewish town, like Tel Aviv, for example.”
The agreement between the local council and Mekorot was achieved only after Deputy Foreign Minister MK Majalli Whbee (Kadima) intervened. The water supply was indeed restored in the towns, but according to the environmental organizations, cases of water supply cut-offs are only a small part to what really goes on. The Galilee organization had filed a petition with the High Court of Justice before the Water Act had been legislated, asking to disable Mekorot from arbitrarily disconnecting their water supply.
“Prior to the Water Act, Mekorot had no authority to disconnect anyone’s water supply,” said Attorney Shadi Azam. “Unfortunately, according to the existing law, they have the authority to do that if the council fails to transfer at least 80% of its debt to Mekorot.”
Two weeks ago the Knesset attempted to pass a bill stipulating that water disconnection would be the last resort, after all else fails. The proposal also stated that Mekorot would not be able to cut off water supply to hospitals, medical centers, firefighting stations, kindergartens and schools. The bill was rejected, prompting the various associations' to decide on holding a rally Sunday.
According to the non-profit organizations, residents in most towns have been paying their bills, and the councils are the ones accumulating outstanding debts. In that case, even if all the residents have paid their water bills, the debt is yet to be settled.
“It’s unheard of that a quarter of a million citizens have been suffering from Mekorot’s arbitrary decisions in the past years.” said CFE co-director Liora Aharon. “This is a third world reality. I don’t recall the last time a Jewish town was cut off from its water supply. It’s not that they are screwed up, it’s us that we are screwing them.”
Mekorot expressed its regret at the great inconvenience causes to the residents due to what it termed “the local authority’s failure,” saying that “the company does not wish to or tends to place limits on water supply, and usually agrees on a debt payment plan beyond the letter of the law.”
The company added that “in extreme cases, when the company has no way of obtaining payment from the council for its residents’ water usage, Mekorot is forced to temporarily cut off the water supply, giving a few alerts so as to allow the council heads to prepare accordingly.
“The local authority, which collects payment from the residents, is responsible to pay Mekorot for the overall water usage in their towns, the company said, adding that the local councils’ debts to the company in the Arab sector total millions of shekels and that it applies the same measures to all councils in all sectors.
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