The first meeting was held today (15^th February 2007) between Minister of National Infrastructure Benjamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer and the Water Authority Council, under the leadership of Prof. Uri Shani.  The purpose of the meeting:  Making the intended work arrangements of the Water Authority Council.  At the meeting, the minister gave his backing to the Authority’s director and the members of the Authority’s council, pointed out the importance and immensity of the task they face, and expressed his readiness to help however necessary.

National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer: “I am pleased to be here today at this important event:  This is the first time the Government Water and Sewage Authority’s council is meeting.

The idea behind the process of establishing the Government Water and Sewage Authority is the uniting of the government’s jurisdiction in the areas of water and sewage under one authority.  Until the authority’s establishment, this jurisdiction was spread among many ministries, such that it was quite difficult to set a unified government policy, and created many conflicts and collisions among the various bodies.

The establishment of this authority was made possible by my full support for the process.  During the coming years, additional areas of activity will be added to the Authority (the sewage infrastructure development authority and the water authority), while until that time, I expect that these bodies will work in full cooperation.

A golden opportunity has been presented to you, dear members of the Authority’s Council, to be the first council members.  In your role, a weighty task has been assigned to you: to shape the image, character, and activities of one of the (most) important and strongest authorities in Israel, which supervises the supply of a basic and essential commodity that is in short supply - water.

I would like to give you my backing, and to point out that I am at your service for the purposes of promoting any of the authority’s decisions that can help develop the water network in Israel.

Water Authority Head, Prof. Uri Shani: “It is vital that the council works with full public transparency. The role of the Water Authority Council is to plan and establish a water economy based on the integration of hydrological, engineering, and economic tools, and whose aim is to supply water at the required quality for all consumers in our generation and the generations to come.

The tasks that stand before us are many.

Guarding the water sources is difficult and confusing.

The density of the population in Israel causes two complications:

1. Many statutory problems.  Implementing an enlightened infrastructural process is confusing and complicated, and the time from project planning to realization is long, cumbersome and expensive.  We are in a process of strengthening the water transportation system to Jerusalem.  If we don’t strengthen it, there will be water shortages in Jerusalem by the end of 2009.

2. The potential for pollution is great, and rehabilitation is complicated.  It is simple to pollute and very difficult to rehabilitate, and the Water Authority Council has a special role:  Improving the rules by which the water network will be managed.

The Water Authority was established according to government decision, and began operating on 1^st January 2007.  For many years prior to the establishment of the Authority, all the government ministries acted, in one manner or another, on the issue of water, which led to bureaucratic entanglements and lack of coordination.

Bringing the issue of water under one authority is intended to streamline handling of the issue, and to exert control over the water system in Israel.  The Authority’s activity will enable optimal management of the entire water chain: reservoirs, and sewage, as well as efficient exploitation of water types and sources for various uses at the regional level, taking into account the national water economy.

The Authority includes, among others, bodies such as the Water Commission, the Sewage Infrastructure Development Administration, the Local Authority Water Administration, and the Authority for Public Services - Water and Sewage.  The benefits of establishing the Authority are also clear from the standpoint of economic management, which enables integrated development and management of water sources, in accordance with various uses.

The Water Authority Council, with which Minister Ben-Eliezer met today, consists of eight members:  The Water Authority Head, Prof. Uri Shani, representatives of the ministries of Infrastructure, Interior, Agriculture, Environment and Finance, as well as two public representatives.

The roles of the Water Authority Council are anchored in the Water Law, and include, among others:

1. Arranging, developing and supervising the water system;
2. Carrying out government policy which has repercussions on the water system;
3. Determining rules for the granting of licenses under this law;
4. Determining rates and levies for the various uses of water;
5. Determining rules regarding water production, supply, quantity, quality, price, and use within the water purposes framework, and (regarding) an attack affecting the water;
6. Determining standards for handling sewage water;
7. Supervision over the National Water Authority and the regional water authorities;
8. Assisting the National Infrastructure Minister in fulfilling his role as the initiating minister regarding international treaties on the issue of water.