Current sectionScience & HealthNature & EnvironmentShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeThe Sorek desalination plant. Experts have been racing in recent days to find a technological solution . Credit: Ofer VakninThe Sorek desalination plant. Experts have been racing in recent days to find a technological solution . Credit: Ofer VakninAn algal bloom has exposed the risks of Israel's reliance on desalination. Protecting natural water reserves is essential, while one researcher suspects dust from Gaza's destruction helped the bloomZafrir Rinatand Nir Hasson03:34 PM • September 09 2026 IDTExperts from the Technion and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have been racing in recent days to find a technological solution to the algal bloom disrupting Israel's desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast. They are looking for substances that bind the microscopic algae together into larger particles that filtration membranes can capture.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel water Environment & NatureScience & TechnologyClimate changeIsrael-Gaza WarCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesNetanyahu October 7Settlement SanctionsIsrael-U.K.EisenkotCanadaBen-GvirGazaIsrael ElectionHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIsrael's Algae Crisis: Is 'War Dust' From Gaza Fueling the Crisis?57,000 Israelis Have Left the Country Since Last Rosh HashanahIsrael's High Court Weighs Legality of Voter-tracking Apps Ahead of ElectionCovenant Emerges From Stealth With Plans for Low-cost Cruise MissilesIsrael's Response to U.K. Settlement Sanctions Is a Media-hyped NothingburgerRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMINetanyahu Got an Explicit Warning Before Oct. 7. He Didn't Brief Security ChiefsThink Bibi Is Bad? Meet Sara NetanyahuIMDb Replaces the Name Israel With 'The Occupied Palestinian Territories'Water Crisis Triggered by Gaza's Ruin: Israel Is Paying the Price of DestructionNetanyahu Was Warned About October 7. Will Haaretz's Exposé Change Anything?What Did Netanyahu Really Do on the Morning of October 7?More Stories to Explore