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by National geographic
Friday, Mar. 01, 2013 at 10:07 PM
Posted from Jerusalem by Kate Voss, UCCHM Water Policy Fellow. This is the second in a series of posts on our Water Diplomacy trip to Israel, Jordan and Palestine
As we left the Ben Gurion-Tel Aviv airport, my colleagues and I excitedly scanned the new landscape that surrounded us. Our first impression was how incredibly familiar it felt to California. A field of orange trees, perfect rows of irrigated crops, a salty breeze from the Mediterranean Sea. Maybe we were just hyper-aware of our surroundings, looking to find parallels between our home and this new region, but the reality is that Israel and California share a striking similarity in their physical environments and, subsequently, their challenges to manage water resources.
This core connection between California and the Middle East, particularly Israel, was one motivation for our trip. The other was the release of our recent paper on groundwater depletion in the Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region. It is a well-known fact that this entire region faces extreme challenges to manage their scarce water resources. Drought, increasing agricultural water demand, population pressures, and competing stakeholders add to an already stressed water system. Despite these challenges, this region is at the forefront of water management. The regional efforts to collaboratively manage surface water resources from the Jordan River and groundwater aquifers, for example by Friends of the Earth Middle East, as well as Israel’s strategies to maximize and efficiently use every last drop of water, are revolutionary.
In Israel, wastewater from urban areas is used to irrigate nearly 100% of crops in a desert while desalination accounts for 60% of water supply in densely populated regions. Pricing for water accurately reflects the costs to transport and produce the water, but these prices are affordable for all. Crops that can be grown with “poor quality” water, such as brackish or reclaimed wastewater, are cultivated while water-intensive agriculture and flood irrigation is rejected. Greenhouses and drip irrigation systems dominate the irrigation landscape. Clearly, the world, and including California, could learn a thing or two from Israel.
Over the course of our two weeks in the Middle East, we will meet with the key water authorities, water utility companies, civil society members, and university researchers in Israel, Palestinian territories, and Jordan. During our “science diplomacy” trip, we hope to not only share our research, but to learn from a region that is a prototype for effective water management.
Technion University was our first stop on this water journey, where we met with researchers at the Grand Water Research Institute (GWRI). During our conversation at Technion, we learned about the Israeli tools to allocate, reuse, and distribute water and how academic research improves these tools. Israel’s water monitoring and allocation system is phenomenal – every drop of water, from freshwater resources to desalinated water, is accounted for, priced accordingly, and delivered to the end-user. Although agriculture has the largest demand for freshwater resources, the government water policy restricts the freshwater allocation to approximately 0.450 km3 and not a drop more. The residual agricultural water demand is fulfilled by Israel’s extensive recycled wastewater and brackish water distribution system. The other major end-user, domestic water demand, is met by desalination, surface water from the Sea of Galilee, freshwater rivers and aquifer supplies.
For we Californians, it was surprising and inspiring to hear about the innovative strategies in place to meet agricultural water demands and, even more so, that the farmers were completely in support of these policies. In the States, we have very little monitoring of agricultural water use, particularly of groundwater abstraction. If groundwater were as closely allocated and monitored in the U. S. as the resources are in Israel, the monitoring may be regarded as a breach of personal freedoms, since groundwater rights are tied to property rights in much of the country. Yet here in Israel, the farmers have fully supported this progressive strategy to both strictly monitor and allocate water resources and to introduce new supplies through desalination and recycled water. Much of their support appears to be the result of an ongoing communication and social outreach initiative to inform farmers about the limits to water resources and the opportunities to meet water demands through more sustainable practices. How could we drive a shift in the United States to emulate this support for innovative water management policies?
As our discussions at Technion illustrated, the support for such innovative management policies begins with knowledge transfer to stakeholders. For example, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture hosts annual meetings that farmers, academics, and decision makers attend with the goal of sharing their respective water experiences and to work toward more efficient water practices. A core aspect of that effective communication is creating practical, actionable results rooted in technical research. During our discussion at Technion, we repeatedly heard an emphasis on interdisciplinary research, bringing together economists, engineers, hydrologists, and politicians to guide those actionable results for water management. Technion is one of many universities that are part of the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Water Centers for Excellence project, sponsored by USAID. This platform provides the foundation for collaboration between researchers throughout the MENA region including in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan.
The concept of a “water research network” is lacking in the United States, as is the connection between researchers and decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels. In Israel, this model of collaboration has resulted in meticulous monitoring of water resources to inform water management policies and the subsequent support from all stakeholders. If we could shift our water management paradigm in the United States to effectively link researchers, policy-makers, and local stakeholders with open lines of communication, the outcome could be groundbreaking.
Our meeting at the GWRI at the Technion left us with many ideas for potential collaboration between our research center at UC Irvine and the Technion. On a technical level, we discussed a wide variety of potential research topics, ranging from the development of a 3D groundwater model; the evaluation of the linkages between water and soil management at a global scale; the use of enviromatics to better manage and monitor regional water systems; and optimization of land-surface and water management models to better reflect the reality of water demand and supply. On a broader level, our meeting provided a glimpse at new strategies and tools that we, in California, can use to more effectively manage water resources, link stakeholders, communicate knowledge, and develop policies to sustainably manage our resources.
This Israel-California knowledge transfer model is an exciting venture, and we hope that over the duration of our trip we will find more ideas, collaboration opportunities, and links with civil society, academic, and governmental agencies. From domestic water use strategies to effective agricultural irrigation and high-tech water system modeling to the development of innovative distribution systems, the possibilities for international learning are endless. In the next few posts, you’ll hear about our conversations with key civil society leaders, such as Friends of the Earth Middle East, and regional water managers in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan as well as our insights to the region’s water initiatives, such as the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea conduit. With this new cross-regional network as a foundation, our water future is looking brighter.
newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/27/parallel-worl...
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TITLE |
AUTHOR |
DATE |
water of life |
Waternan |
Saturday, Mar. 02, 2013 at 6:27 PM |
Water water every where |
but not a drop to drink |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 2:22 AM |
what a disgusting -syndicated- white washing piece |
crazy_inventor |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 2:50 AM |
real world effects |
Waterman |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 5:37 PM |
it had to go and do it, huh? |
Waterman |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 6:07 PM |
"our water future is looking brighter." |
crazy_inventor |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 8:34 PM |
Jeez, get a life |
waterworld |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 9:30 PM |
Water use in "palestine" |
This is Palestine |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 9:40 PM |
This is "palestine" |
This is "Palestine" |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 9:44 PM |
satellite view shows |
crazy_inventor |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 11:51 PM |
This is gaza |
5 star hotels with swimming pools |
Sunday, Mar. 03, 2013 at 11:59 PM |
Water use in gaza |
since you asked |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 12:08 AM |
Almat'haf Hotel & Cultural House in gaza is more traditional |
Visit gaza |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 12:24 AM |
Visit Gaza |
good idea |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 6:06 AM |
this is why I pointed out the satellite view |
crazy_inventor |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 7:05 AM |
What does any of this have to do with water use? |
Again |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 9:37 AM |
not renewable and substainable |
crazy_inventor |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 11:22 AM |
again, the 'climate change' jabber. |
Waterman |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 11:37 AM |
thieves and liars (and oil shills) have nothing to teach us |
crazy_inventor |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 12:49 PM |
then there are 'climate change' shills ... |
Waterman |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 5:33 PM |
the tinfoil is strong with this one |
crazy_inventor |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 6:22 PM |
so predictable |
Mighty Zorg |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 7:14 PM |
still waiting for those nano aluminum particle samples |
crazy_inventor |
Monday, Mar. 04, 2013 at 11:36 PM |
being silly doesn't mean much |
sample this...! |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 4:19 AM |
curious _localized_ drought |
crazy_inventor |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 5:16 AM |
what a prety map |
looks awful scary! |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 5:50 AM |
what a prety sample |
crazy_inventor |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 6:37 AM |
lecture to the children? |
what a pompous ass |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 10:25 AM |
israel is a very poor example |
crazy_inventor |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 11:51 AM |
hex wants you to believe |
research it! |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 3:30 PM |
research shows : |
crazy_inventor |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 5:54 PM |
Well, actually... |
Lord Locksley |
Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 at 9:30 PM |
the 'ol global cooling lie - again |
crazy_inventor |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 12:39 AM |
heh |
Lord Locksley |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 4:30 AM |
might I suggest some |
crazy_inventor |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 5:15 AM |
Why don't you.... |
Lord Locksley |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 6:17 AM |
aned as anyone can see for themself |
water of life |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 6:18 AM |
Why don't you.... |
crazy_inventor |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 6:20 AM |
tipping point reached - GAME OVER |
crazy_inventor |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 6:33 AM |
Well, actually... |
Lord Locksley |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 6:55 AM |
UK MET Office keeps downplaying significance of events in the Arctic |
crazy_inventor |
Wednesday, Mar. 06, 2013 at 4:10 PM |
it is perfect |
majority of other deniers |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 6:58 AM |
so much for digging into independent reasearch |
crazy_inventor |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 7:19 AM |
Not really..... |
Lord Locksley |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 7:47 AM |
propaganda |
crazy_inventor |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 7:59 AM |
Yea,well... |
Lord Locksley |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 8:14 AM |
fortunately |
crazy_inventor |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 8:37 AM |
Well,yea.... |
Lord Locksley |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 8:50 AM |
panties |
crazy_inventor |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 9:08 AM |
Don't forget.... |
Lord Locksley |
Thursday, Mar. 07, 2013 at 9:23 AM |
'fossil' fools |
Ochen Horror-show. |
Friday, Mar. 08, 2013 at 11:33 AM |
Well, actually... |
Lord Locksley |
Friday, Mar. 08, 2013 at 11:53 AM |
My favorite is useful |
crazy_inventor |
Friday, Mar. 08, 2013 at 2:04 PM |
yup |
'save the world from the oil companies' |
Friday, Mar. 08, 2013 at 4:05 PM |
well well well |
crazy_inventor |
Friday, Mar. 08, 2013 at 4:12 PM |
"on the air" |
offer of proof? |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 5:34 AM |
I attack the local media |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 6:18 AM |
as suspected... |
not to *me* |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 12:08 PM |
"I thought the other readers would like to see" |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 12:15 PM |
you sure are |
thought so |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 12:18 PM |
of course you do realize |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 12:41 PM |
back to water instead of Bullflop |
water of life |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 12:48 PM |
back to the praddle |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 1:47 PM |
uhhh, hex |
my yard |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 3:37 PM |
well its not about you |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 4:22 PM |
what a tool.... |
ha ha |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 4:54 PM |
multible published stories |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 5:30 PM |
"Gordon Lightfoot" |
I wish |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 5:43 PM |
"that everyone ignores " |
I wish |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 5:44 PM |
to refute |
crazy_inventor |
Saturday, Mar. 09, 2013 at 6:06 PM |
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