Shlomit Be’eri et al

Water Saving in Israel's Urban Sector: A Feasibility Study for a Renewed Policy

Shlomit Be'eri, Research Assistant, The Center for Urban and Regional Studies,
Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel;

PH (972)-4-8294019; email: l
Naomi Carmon, Professor, Head of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel;

PH (972)-4-8294075; email:
Uri Shamir, Professor, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Stephen and Nancy Grand Water Research Institute, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000,
Israel; PH (972)-4-8292239; email:

Abstract
Over the years Israel has experienced an increasing shortage of water due to growing demands, especially in the urban sector. There are two complementary approaches for coping with this situation. The first and more conventional way is augmenting supplies to meet rising demands. As part of this approach, and after serious depletion of the natural resources reached crisis proportions, Israel has launched on a major program of sea-water desalination and shifting of potable water from agriculture to the cities and replacing it with reclaimed wastewater. The other approach is demand management - to reduce demands, so they are in better harmony with the existing supply, thereby postponing some of the investments in expanding supplies.
This paper reports the findings of a study of existing and potential savings in water use by the urban sector, especially households, which are the largest water consumer in the urban sector. The study included a comprehensive feasibility study, concerning technical, legal, economical, social and administrative aspects. It was designed to provide the basis for policy decisions. This paper focuses on the social feasibility of water saving by urban households.
Keywords: Residential and Urban Water Consumption, Water Demand Management in the Urban Sector, Feasibility Study, Israel.