Can Israel’s successful water conservation system be used in Chile’s mega-drought?

By Carlos Montes

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The almost desert-like Israel has been described as a global water reference, capable of turning its sandy surface into an inexhaustible source of water. Some numbers reaffirm these benefits: it is the country that recycles its water the most -around 85%- very far from the second Spain, which recycles 20%. Almost 50% of the water used in agriculture is recycled, making this sector one of the engines of the local economy. It has five desalination plants, including the largest osmosis desalination plant in the world.

For this reason, a delegation from this country visited Chile between May 9 and 12, to present a possible work plan to government and environmental authorities.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Chile

The work team is made up of Yechezkel Lifshitz, an Israeli expert in water resources, water governance and technologies at the service of the territories, who served as director general of the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Water and is currently in charge of the General Directorate of Energy Infrastructures in the Ministry of Energy, being also a member of the board of directors of the Israel Water Authority.

And also by Diego Berger, who since 2014 is the Coordinator of Special Projects of the Israel National Water Company, Mekorot. He has been dedicated to the monitoring and management of water resources, precipitation-runoff and groundwater models, modeling and optimization of water supply systems.

During his visit to Chile, Berger spoke with Qué Pasa about the local and global water situation, as well as the successful model of his country, which implemented saving, production and circular economy technologies.

Chile is a brother country, reveals Berger, “and Israel’s policy is to be in contact with them, and try to help them with whatever we can. Water matter is one of the topics in which we can transmit our experience. The Israeli embassy is in contact with people from the government and from the ministries,” he adds.

During their visit to Chile, the Israeli team had a round table with the Government of Santiago, met with the Ministry of Agriculture, took part in a seminar at the University of Chile, attended a presentation at the Energy Commission of the Senate, and was also in an exhibition in the Mining Commission and in the Water Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, among others.

Measures must be taken to manage the water course, “and being in a crisis is a good time to take them. The first thing is to know how much water you have, then divide it according to the objective you have as a country. The difference between Israel and Chile is that the former was born with a culture of scarcity. That’s why I always say that Israel was blessed with a lack of resources, it’s a cultural issue. Chile went from the culture of abundance, they believed that there were no problems, and now climate change has exacerbated the situation”, explains Berger.

Berger advises that there must be a water authority in the country. “We recommend centralized management, when there are many managers, nobody really makes decisions. The other thing is that the water sector is financially self-sustaining, in addition that water is measured and there is a water law, that all water resources are public”.

PUBLIC MANAGEMENT MODEL: RADICAL CHANGES

The main objective of this trip was to deepen the cooperation work on water issues that the Embassy of Israel in Chile develops with the new Government and to give continuity to the projects and work groups that already work in governorates, universities, municipalities and parliamentary commissions.

One of the possible models, even more so considering the geography of Chile, are desalination plants. Although its cost is an issue in many cases, Berger points out that if the water is self-sustaining, there should be no such problem. “There are many emergencies, in Israel there are wars, and it works. There are two policies that have not changed over time in Israel, one on security and the other on water. It is a long-term race, water is a priority”.

The Israeli model is a public management model based on an autonomous National Water Authority, which coordinates all the actors on the issue. This has allowed the planning and execution of public policies with a long-term perspective. To this has been added the development of water saving technologies (drip irrigation and identification of leaks), water production (desalination) and circular economy (treatment and reuse of gray water).

Berger explains that water in Israel is of such importance that the Israel National Water Company (Mekorot) was founded even before the State itself. “The State of Israel was founded in 1948, the water department in 37. It is a national priority.”

Israel reuses about 90% of its greywater for agricultural purposes. In Israel more than 70% of drinking water comes from a desalination process. In Israel, leaks do not exceed 8%, compared to 30% considered “normal”. In Israel there is no flood irrigation, only efficient drip or micro-sprinkler irrigation.

The use of gray water for agriculture is fundamental, “half of the water used in agriculture in Israel is reused water. The problem in Latin America is that consumption in this matter is very large, 80%. Reusing tributaries is a good idea, but it won’t completely solve the problem. In Israel consumption was reduced by 30%,” he adds.

Responsibility for leaks is shared, “everyone is in the same boat, and it must be understood that the management of water resources is an integral issue, and all the people must know what the problem is,” says Berger.

It is possible that Chile will overcome this crisis, concludes Berger. “The issue is that it implements long-term changes, in two months it cannot be resolved, radical changes must be made.”