Gaza’s destroyed sewage system linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants

Untreated sewage from Gaza may have helped cause a huge algae bloom that shut down five of Israel’s six major desalination plants on the Mediterranean, Israeli news outlet Ynet has reported. 

Scientists are trying to assess possible environmental fallout from Gaza’s destroyed wastewater infrastructure, the report said. 

In an alarming development, the algae bloom spread along Israel's Mediterranean coast, disrupting seawater desalination plants that provide much of the country's drinking water, CNN reported, citing Mekorot, Israel's national water company.

Desalination provides at least 65 percent of Israel's drinking water, with most plants located on the coast.

“An event of this kind has never occurred before in Israel … it was an extremely rare event,” said Lior Gutman, a spokesperson for Mekorot. 

Read more: Gaza’s destroyed sewage system linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants