in the winter of 2008, Israel facing water disasteranyone. The drought cycle that began in 2005 was reaching its climax and threatening to cause irreparable damage to nature. Sea of Galilee, The largest aquifer reserve in Hebrew country (located 200 meters below sea level and is a historic site due to its biblical significance). This dramatic picture reflects not only the scarcity of rain, but also the overuse by irrigated agriculture and illegal posts.
that’s when Water AuthorityAn inter-ministerial institution, established in 2007, took action on the issue. The first thing he did was a national campaign to raise public awareness in a country with half of its territory is covered with desert and with the population explosion, fresh water preservation, reuse and even to produce. Thus, Water Administration officials met with the villagers and participated in the campaigns. door to door to persuade urban users to buy shorter showers.
In parallel with this, the country laid the foundations of a country. unique water system in a three-pillar world: use long-term investment in reclaimed water, large volumes of desalinated water production and building a complex and extensive pipeline network covering the entire country and ensuring that water is brought where it is needed most. As four scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote last year, it is a system that “in terms of water management essentially transforms the country into a single watershed.”
An example of success
This integrated system has provided Israel with spectacular results that some analysts consider strategic even for its foreign policy with Arab countries. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently mentioned as an example of success. Israel has managed to adapt to its arid climate, scarcity of water resources, and climatic uncertainty. Her Water consumption per capita is the lowest among OECD countries (138 m3 per capita compared to 691 m3) and is the largest user. reclaimed water for agricultural uses From the OECD: over 87% of treated water is reused for agriculture” reads a recent report from the organisation.
after a series failed experiments raining bombarding clouds with silver iodideA controversial technique made in China to clear the atmosphere and has been tested in the Canary Islands for some time.[ER3] country has chosen desalination. built since 2005 five major seawater desalination plants planted on the shores of the Mediterranean. Today they meet 40% of the country’s fresh water needs. 85% of this desalinated water is used to supply water to homes.
Desalination, a process currently carried out on a smaller scale by hundreds of plants in the Spanish Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, is no trivial matter. requirements high energy use to convert – usually using the process reverse osmosis— Salt water to drinking water, which creates serious inconsistencies in our age of cutting CO2 emissions. However energy efficiency It has improved a lot in recent years, and in the case of Israel, desalination is part of a larger strategy aimed at providing the country with resilience in the face of the worst-case scenarios of global warming.
It also serves as an undertaking gradual water diplomacy tangible fruit. For example, in November last year, during the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (COP27), Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement replace desalinated water with solar electricity. The agreement envisions Israel to supply 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water to Jordan and in return receive 600 megawatts (MW) from solar power plants.
The last major milestone of the water plan was launched in December. Just when there was speculation about the possibility in Catalonia draining the sau swamp Israel opened a pipeline to prevent pyrus reserves from being wasted. Desalinated excess water in the Sea of Galilee. For the first time in the world, desalinated water is used to refill a freshwater lake. This unique initiative to protect the strategic freshwater reserve has been criticized for its high cost (an investment of more than $200 million). However, the Water Authority executives are clear about this. “Israel shows that with innovative formulas and creative planning, Israel is leading the fight against climate change,” said director Yehezkel Lifshitz as the desalinated Mediterranean water flowed into the lake.