Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer was on hand at
a dedication ceremony for a large water tower built by
Mekorot for Modi'in Illit residents.
Ben Eliezer, who was hosted by Council Head Rabbi Yaakov
Guterman, recalled the first time he toured the land the city
was later built on, saying he reached the decision to start
construction while he was serving as minister of construction
and housing in 1996.
"The shopping center, employment [opportunities], educational
institutions, welfare [programs] and more are evidence the
city is run [superbly] and the Council Head should be
recognized for this along with the people living in the city,
who know how to value this," said Ben Eliezer.
The Infrastructures Minister promised to promote Modi'in
Illit's kosher electricity project and praised Mekorot,
saying it demonstrated outstanding abilities in the
construction of the new water tower. The water company is set
to execute other massive projects such as a filtration system
for the national water carrier, an international desalination
facility and Jerusalem's fifth water line. The Minister
pledged to continue promoting the city's needs, saying
Modi'in Illit would be allocated additional resources for
infrastructures and projects. During the reception held for
the Minister, the guests were shown a broad geographic
survey, taking a look at the city's old and new neighborhoods
alike, including land zoned for construction in Mattityahu
East which has land reserves for the construction of another
3,000 housing units.
According to a Mekorot representative, the new water tower,
which will allow Modi'in Illit to have completely Shomer
Shabbos water, was built 340 meters (1,100 feet) above
sea level, is 45 meters (150 feet) in diameter and cost NIS 7
million ($1.8 million) to construct. Seventy percent of the
funding came from the Modi'in Illit Local Council and 30
percent from Mekorot. The previous water tower held only
2,000 cubic meters of water, while the new one contains
20,000, allowing 15,000 cubic meters to be available for the
surrounding area.
Mekorot Chairman Mr. Eli Ronen said the "Shabbos tower"
allows Modi'in Illit residents to lead their lives as they
require and to receive water on Shabbos without human
intervention. The water tower is filled to the top before
Shabbos and the pumps bringing in water from Mekorot are
turned off at the beginning of Shabbos. At the beginning of
each week the council receives a graph showing water
consumption every Shabbos. Ronen praised the Council Head for
his resolve in providing the maximum for local residents and
his dedication to the project. The Mekorot Chairman said he
is proud to tour the city and see the blessed growth.
