Water as our most precious resource

By Lorne Bell - Monday December 3 2007

Many experts consider water a more precious resource than oil.Promoting collaboration for conservation technology

As the price of oil nears $100 a barrel, it’s hard to imagine a natural resource with more global economic and social import. But at a conference hosted by the New England Israel Business Council (NEIBC) last week, it was water, not crude, that took center stage. “Water: More Precious than Oil: Challenges, Management and Investment Opportunities” brought together experts from the U.S. and Israel to discuss opportunities for improving water management and conservation through investment in business and technology.

“In Israel, we cannot separate the scarcity and management of water resources from the regional problem,” said Shimon Tal, former water commissioner of Israel and one of the event’s panelists. “Water technology is being developed whenever there is a necessity, and we have a lot of experience and have developed a lot of technology for the efficient use of water.”

Israel has emerged as one of the world’s leaders in water conservation and management. Federal policies regulating the nation’s scarce water resources have led to advances in water-friendly “drip irrigation” practices, and the extensive implementation of water reclamation technologies. As a result, nearly 64 percent of Israel’s wastewater is treated and reclaimed every year, according to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.

“Israel, out of necessity, is a hotbed of new ideas and technologies that could be tapped worldwide,” said Natan Parsons, national water chairman for Jewish National Fund and a panelist at last week’s conference. “We are looking to Israel as a source for innovation and the future thrust into applicable technology in the ‘water world.’”

As JNF’s water chairman, Parsons oversees and assesses water related projects in Israel. He said the arid climate and extreme water scarcity have rendered the Jewish state an ideal laboratory for water conservation projects, and a useful resource for learning about sustainable conservation technology.

Yuval Malinsky, president of the NEIBC, agreed.
“There are many ways this partnership can work and be very fruitful,” he said. “We have fabulous research institutions, especially here in New England, and collaboration between researchers in the field here and in Israel could lead to better products, technologies and solutions.”

Although New England does not face the water scarcity that Israel does, many states in the U.S. are experiencing severe drought and water shortages. Malinsky believes both nations have much to gain from sharing their expertise and garnering investments from the business world.

But solving the planet’s water crises will take significant investments of time.
“We’ve done a good job of screwing it up, when it comes to polluting the potable water resources we have in the world,” said Parsons. “[In terms of water policies,] I expect you’ll see incremental, evolving changes over a very long time.”
According to Parsons, those changes will require upgrading our country’s aging water infrastructure, implementing reclamation technologies that clean and recycle wastewater, and, most importantly, educating the public about our most precious natural resource.

“Conservation needs to be ingrained through programs at the school level, and not by a person coming in to talk with facts and figures” he said. “Students need to be involved in an ongoing process where they see the impact of their actions.”
In Israel, students are doing just that. Fifteen schools have constructed rainwater harvesting systems where rooftop reservoirs supply buildings with potable water for toilets, sinks and irrigation. The projects, although small in scale, are one example of how interactive education in water conservation can make a tangible difference.

More sweeping changes – like implementing tighter water restrictions and overhauling an outdated subterranean waterway – might not be as easy to implement.
“Who wants to pay 10 extra bucks for some underground piping that you can’t see,” said Parsons. “For politicians, it’s a lot easier to sell a park than a pipe.”
Maybe so; but in places like Georgia, where severe drought has led to a state of emergency and reservoirs have nearly dried up, government officials and residents could learn a lot from Israel’s approach.

“There’s a lot we can do [in the U.S.] to make water consumption more efficient,” said Tal. “We need to educate the public. But even without education, everyone must be thinking, ‘What can I do to consume less water?’”