On Shabbos Chanukah, many Bnei Brak residents found no water in
their taps due to a problem in the city's water tower and its
pumping system.
The water flow stopped two hours after candle lighting time,
not resuming until motzei Shabbos. It affected mainly
residents of the city center and occupants of upper floors.
Municipal Spokesman Avrohom Tannenbaum told Yated
Ne'eman that the water was cut off due to a problem with
the computerized water tower system that supplies water to all
of Bnei Brak. Pressure is maintained through a water tower, and
a special system generally ensures that the water reservoirs
refill automatically when they become empty.
Every erev Shabbos the city turns off the computerized
system in order to prevent Shabbos desecration, and the tower
then functions by means of a regular automatic pump that turns
on every few hours. This means that the actions of Bnei Brak
residents do not affect the operation of the system. This
system stopped working two hours after Shabbos began, causing a
break in the steady water supply to many regions in the
city.
Directly after Shabbos the problem was repaired and experts
were called in to examine the reasons for the occurrence to
prevent any recurrence.
