Mekorot to double the amount of water supplied to the Mitzpe Ramon area

Mekorot, Israel's national water company, has begun a new water development and supply project that will double the amount of water transferred to the Mitzpe Ramon area in several years. The project is being implemented as part of the Negev's development plan for the current decade and includes the construction of a new 30,000-cubic meter reservoir and four pumping units. Mekorot explains that the Mitzpe Ramon area is classified as a remote consumer area located 35 kilometers from the central water system. "Mitzpe Ramon is the southernmost point in the country that receives water from the Sea of Galilee from the national system. Today, Mitzpe Ramon's main water reservoir includes two pools opposite the Sde Boker station. Therefore, the project is necessary to increase the future supply to the city for routine and emergency situations," explains Mekorot's VP of Development and Customers, Eyal Ben David.

According to estimates, Mekorot will complete the work within 30 months, which will help increase the water supply in the country's south, considering the area’s natural population growth and business in the region. The current project joins two other projects currently being planned or under construction in the southern and lowland regions.

The first is planning the construction of a new water line that will increase the water supply to Kiryat Gat, which will connect the area of the Plugot Junction to the east of Kiryat Gat. The length of the line is 11 kilometers, with diameters between 48 and 60 inches. At the same time, last year, the first connection of its kind of the Arava region to the national water transmission system was inaugurated. This is a 30-kilometer water line connection between the Dimona area south toward the Arava region. Mekorot emphasizes that in the past, the Arava region was based on water supply from local brackish water drillings. However, the demand for water in the area is growing at a high and constant rate, which, as stated, led to a connection to the national water system.