Comptroller Repeatedly Warned of Deficiencies in Desalination System

Against the backdrop of the shutdown of desalination plants, reports published by former State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman in recent years raise a series of warnings regarding the resilience of desalination plants and the water sector in Israel to pollution, cyberattacks, and the effects of climate change.

In a report published in November 2024, which dealt with the regulation and supervision of seawater desalination plants, the Comptroller found that from 2007 until the end of 2023, there were 14 incidents of seawater pollution that resulted in the cessation of production at desalination plants.

The duration of the production stoppages ranged from a few hours to five days. According to the report, the shutdowns occurred after tests revealed, among other things, microbial contamination, fuel and oils, as well as turbidity in the seawater.

It was also found that about 57% of the incidents that led to the cessation of production due to raw water quality were microbial contamination events. About 29% of the incidents were caused by fuel and oil pollution, and about 14% by water turbidity during storms and earthquakes.

The State Comptroller recommended that the Ministry of Health periodically conduct surveys on the subject of algal toxins and other toxins secreted into the water by invasive species, prepare a plan to deal with the phenomenon, and supervise its implementation.

However, the risks to the water sector that the Comptroller warned about were not limited to seawater pollution. In another report, published in December 2022, which dealt with the cyber defense of local water suppliers, the Comptroller pointed out gaps in the level of readiness to deal with cyberattacks.

In audits conducted by the Water Authority in 2021, it was found that some of the water corporations tested received a low score in their level of readiness for a cyberattack. Alongside this, the tests were conducted only in some of the corporations.

It was also found that until May 2022, only some of the water suppliers that the Water Authority defined as those that should be connected to the Ministry of Energy's cyber center for monitoring infrastructure were actually connected to it.

The Comptroller recommended promoting regulation that would require water suppliers to operate monitoring, control, and protection systems against cyber incidents, prepare information security plans, and anchor the Water Authority's authority to give suppliers instructions in the field.

Another warning appeared as early as the Comptroller's report from October 2021, which dealt with the government's preparation for the climate crisis. The audit then revealed that the division in the Water Authority responsible for desalination plants had not prepared for the possible effects of climate change on the facilities.

The Comptroller recommended that the Water Authority examine concrete scenarios regarding the impact of climate change on seawater composition, as well as the steps required to reduce and mitigate the risks to desalination plants.

The three reports point over several years to a variety of threats that the water sector is required to deal with — from seawater pollution, through cyberattacks, to environmental and climate changes — and to the need for preparation that will allow for maintaining the continuity of water supply even during extreme events.