By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
10/13/2010 03:31

10m. cubic meters being wasted as a result, says Society for Protection of Nature.

The Water Authority has yet to publish guidelines for installing water-saving devices in public buildings despite the fact that the timetable in the law states that it should have done so by April.

After the guidelines are published, public buildings will have four months to install the devices, which means that the project has been delayed by about six months.

The law to install water-saving devices in public buildings – including government offices, hospitals, schools and prisons – was passed in February and outlined a clear timetable for implementation. With the guidelines issued in April, the devices were to have been installed by August. However, the Water Authority has yet to issue the guidelines, essentially stalling the initiative at its onset.

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, which helped write the law, estimated that it would save 10 million cubic meters of water annually. SPNI sent a letter on Sunday to Knesset Economic Affairs Committee chair, and one of the sponsors of the law, MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) asking for an urgent session on the matter.

The Water Authority responded that the guidelines had been approved by the Water Council awhile ago. However, before they could be released for public comment, a number of questions and problems arose that had to be dealt with. Those issues were still being solved, but the guidelines were expected to be published soon, Water Authority Spokesman Uri Schor said.
http://www.jpost.com/HealthAndSci-Tech/ScienceAndEnvironment/Article.aspx?id=191187