The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has completed several drainage projects ahead of the winter, including new storm drains on Lehi Street and Olei Zion Street. The preparations come as the Israel Meteorological Service forecasts above-average rainfall in Israel in the first months of the 2026-27 rainy season, and a high likelihood of heavy downpours that could be unusually intense, against the backdrop of a strong El Niño event developing in 2026.
According to the municipality, tens of millions of shekels have been invested in recent years in upgrading the city’s drainage system, adding drainage lines, collection points and runoff management measures alongside extensive rehabilitation work. The city expects the work to reduce flooding, but notes that some extreme rain events are more than any drainage system could easily handle.
The new projects
- On Lehi Street, a new storm drain has been completed alongside the existing one. According to the city, together they will improve drainage in eastern Tel Aviv and allow runoff to be carried quickly to the Ayalon channel.
- On Olei Zion Street, a storm drain serving Florentin and Jaffa has been completed and will operate this winter. It is designed to carry runoff from the Jaffa area quickly to the sea.
- At the HaHaresh outlet to the Ayalon channel, a project to lay a new drainage line by pipe jacking has been completed to serve Menachem Begin, HaRakevet, Rosh Pina and HaHaresh streets. The line will operate ahead of this winter.
- The rainwater reservoir on Matzuba Street, with a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters, is designed to absorb rainwater quickly and release it slowly and in a controlled way into the municipal drainage system, without pumps or complex maintenance.
Drainage improvements have also been completed on more than a dozen other streets, including HaMasger, HaTsfira, Schocken, Shaul Hamelech and Yehuda HaYamit, and at the Namir-Menachem Begin junction.
In the Carmel and Hatikva markets, all drainage lines and manholes were flushed and cleaned, together with the city’s water utility, to keep waste and pollutants from flowing into the sea before the first rains. Where unusual amounts of pollutants were found, municipal inspectors notified nearby businesses.
Rain gauges, sensors and maintenance
Nine rain gauge stations measure rainfall in the city in real time, six run by the municipality and three by the Meteorological Service. Sensors installed in dozens of drainage lines monitor water levels and detect flood risk, at locations chosen along the main lines and at known flood-prone spots.
In recent months, the city has also completed its annual pre-winter maintenance: cleaning thousands of catch basins and all open drainage channels, clearing summer blockages at drain outlets to the sea and streams, pruning trees and branches at risk of falling, reinforcing fences around construction sites, handling dangerous buildings, repairing potholes in roads and sidewalks, and treating the coastal cliffs. The municipality is also preparing to evacuate residents if needed, including placing containers of bedding equipment for holding centers and adding staff at the residents’ hotline during emergencies.
The city’s mobile unit for people experiencing homelessness is operating with extra staff around the clock, carrying hot drinks and blankets.
What the city is asking residents to do
The municipality is urging residents to prepare for strong winds: secure items on balconies that could blow away, check roofs for debris or objects that could be blown off, reinforce loose fences and avoid putting yard waste and branches out on rainy days. Residents of below-ground floors and owners of basements are asked to make sure waterproofing and drainage are working and to have means of keeping water out.
During flooding, do not go down to parking garages or floors below ground level, and avoid using elevators in parking garages or at or below ground level.
House fires also rise in winter because of heavier use of heaters and the load on the electrical system. The recommendations: keep heaters and gas and electric appliances away from curtains, clothing, toys and bedding; leave a window or opening for ventilation when heating with gas or a wood fireplace; keep stairwells and building lobbies clear; use emergency lighting rather than candles during power outages; and install a smoke detector in every bedroom and in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Hazards can be reported to the municipal hotline at 106 from any cellphone or through the city’s app. More details on the municipality website (Hebrew).
