By SHARON UDASIN
01/13/2012 03:59

Lake Kinneret’s water level is 55 centimeters under the 213 meter red line, and a full 4.75 meters away from full capacity.
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Although Lake Kinneret’s water level rose by 1.50 centimeters following Wednesday’s rain, measuring in at 213.55 meters below sea level on Thursday morning, there is still a water crisis, according to the Water Authority.

The water level is 55 centimeters under the -213- meter red line, and a full 4.75 meters away from full capacity. Only 1 centimeter of the rise between Wednesday and Thursday can be attributed to rain. The other half-centimeter is the result of a temporary halt in National Water Carrier pumping from the lake, as the system was closed for routine maintenance, Water Authority spokesman Uri Schor said.

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“We rose 1 centimeter – that means we need about 475 more such days to fill the Kinneret,” Schor said.

The Kinneret, he stresses, is only one of three main water sources – the other two are the mountain and the coastal aquifers. In total, the country is short about 2 billion cubic meters of water, an amount equivalent to the consumption of all the households in Israel for three years.

“We are expecting a bit more rain, but the rain has not been as strong as we hoped it would be,” Schor said, noting that the winter season is already half over.

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