In the United States, we often talk about increased concerns about water shortages, but we are not alone in this predicament. According to the World Health Organization, in 2017, “Over two billion people worldwide lack[ed] access to safe drinking water.”[1] Many countries live with circumstances much more dire than the United States. Israel, a country whose landscape is 70 percent desert, has found a way to successfully navigate the challenges of living in such conditions by treating and reusing 90 percent of its wastewater.
Of course, Israel’s situation is very different from that of the U.S. politically, geographically and socially. Perhaps the most significant political factor contributing to this success is that in Israel, almost all water belongs to the state. “This allows Israel to control the water on a countrywide level and prioritize who gets it – and when.”[2]
Geographically speaking, Israel is less than the size of New Jersey, so issues of transport are far different those in the U.S. Israel has five desalination plants near the Mediterranean Sea that provide most of the country’s drinking water. Water for agriculture comes primarily from treated wastewater mixed with a smaller percentage of freshwater. The transport of this water to farms is not a difficult task, though, due to the size of the country. Dr. Jack Gilron, head of the Department of Desalination and Water Treatment at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research stated, “When you’re small enough, the distance between where you generate the water and where you need the water is small enough that the cost to transport the water is reasonable.”[3] Comparatively speaking, the United States faces great geographical distances that make water transport cost prohibitive.
Socially, the influence and power of the state allows for the implementation of conservation and education programs that are countrywide, again far different from the United States. Israelis “grow up with a conservation-first mindset,” according to Dr. Elie Rekhess, Associate Director for Israel Studies and visiting professor in the Department of History at Northwestern University.[4] Although sustainability has become important to most Americans, the types of initiatives and the participation levels vary widely from state to state, and water is a resource that most only think to conserve in times of crisis. The United states “intentionally reuses” less than 10 percent of the thirty-two billion gallons of municipal wastewater produced daily.[5]
Israel is in its sixth year of drought and through the reuse of wastewater and desalination, they are protecting their aquifers and the Sea of Galilee, making them fairly water solvent. It is estimated that by 2025 over half of the world population of 7.6 billion will be facing a water crisis, but Israel’s success in water reclamation tells us that there are ways to work around the crisis.
[1] Shemer, Simona. “On World Water Day, A Look At The Innovative Technology That Has Transformed Israel Into A Water Superpower | Environment News.” NoCamels – Israeli Innovation News, 12 July 2018, nocamels.com/2018/03/on-world-water-day-a-look-at-the-innovative-tech-that-makes-israel-a-water-superpower/.
[2] Simpson, Karyn. “What the World Can Learn from Israel’s Water Reuse Programs.” Medill Reports Chicago, 18 Oct. 2018, news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/what-the-world-can-learn-from-israels-water-reuse-programs/.
[3] Simpson, Karyn. “What the World Can Learn from Israel’s Water Reuse Programs.” Medill Reports Chicago, 18 Oct. 2018, news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/what-the-world-can-learn-from-israels-water-reuse-programs/.
[4] Simpson, Karyn. “What the World Can Learn from Israel’s Water Reuse Programs.” Medill Reports Chicago, 18 Oct. 2018, news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/what-the-world-can-learn-from-israels-water-reuse-programs/.
[5] Meeker, Melissa. “The Water Crisis in the West.” The New York Times, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/06/29/the-water-crisis-in-the-west/recycled-wastewater-is-crucial.
Photo credit: Eduard Marmet, Flickr