It’s been raining.

The Bible always connected rain with blessing as described in Deuteronomy, chapter 11 verses 13 and 14: “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine and your oil.”

So, today we were blessed.
It was pouring down both last night and during the day.
I love the sound of rain and also the smell that comes with it. In a country like this with so much desert surrounding us and sand constantly being transported with the wind, it is a pure delight when that is being brought down and the air is left clean.
I also love the drama that very often comes with the rain. No performance is more beautiful to watch than a “wide screen sea show” of thunder and lightening. I always try to get to one of those restaurants by the sea when it is dark and I hear the thunder. To watch the "show" sitting inside drinking hot coffee or chocolate with a panoramic view of the sea is something that it is hard to compete with.

But this was the only day of raining in a long time. The rainy season is supposed to be from mid October till around April. We have hardly had any rain so far.
Israel is facing the worst water crises in the country’s history. There is a gap of 100 million cubic meters between water supply and demand for 2009. That is the equal of the amount of water in 40.000 Olympic size swimming pools.

The water crises has occurred due to lack of rain which has dropped over the last 16 years. Israel now receives 1.2 bill. cu.m./yr. or less.
The three main natural water sources are the Sea of Galilee, the mountain aquifer and the coastal aquifer. They are all far below the red lines. If too much water are to be pumped from these sources it will cause irreparable damage by salt water and contamination seeping in.
Israel uses 1.4 billion cu.m./yr. divided into household (700 mill. cu.m./yr), agriculture (500 mill.cu.m./yr) and industry (150 mill.cu.m./yr)

It is strange for Israel to enter a situation like this. The country has the best reputation in the world for water management technology and irrigation technology.
Israel leads the world in recycling sewage water. As much as 75 % of sewage water is being recycled and this water is used for agriculture and for the watering of public gardens and parks. Spain, the next country in line, recycles 12% of their sewage.
The country also has a number of desalination plants on the coast. This is a very expensive way to produce water. It requires a lot of electricity and there is a problem with the return of the highly salinated water to the sea.

So let’s pray for rain folks.

Elin Elkouby