Israel: Increased water prices to hit most vulnerable according to NGOs

Israeli NGOs say a planned 40 percent rise in water prices in 2010 will hit the most vulnerable in society hardest. Poor families spend some 100 NIS (US$27) a month on water but will have to spend another 40 NIS ($11) a month after the price increase.

The Negev Bedouins, a traditionally pastoral and semi-nomadic Arabic-speaking minority in the Negev desert, southern Israel, are among the poorest people in the country, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, and are expected to be worst affected by the price hike. In Rahat, a Bedouin town in the Negev region, residents told IRIN they will have to revert to fetching water from ancient wells. One resident, who requested anonymity, said it would be like "going back to the dark ages" and warned of severe implications for hygiene. "We will go back to using back yards as toilets as we won't be able to afford to flush our toilets," he said. Some 50,000 people live in Rahat. Over 20,000 are unemployed and some 14,000 rely on welfare assistance, according to local welfare providers. Overall, some 180,000 Bedouins live in the Negev area in both recognized townships and unrecognized villages.

Rahat Mayor Faiz Abu-Sabihan said poorer communities such as the Bedouins should receive subsidized water instead of being forced to pay more. ''It is an unnecessary extra burden for the weaker population," he said.