Israeli Water Achievements Today and Enlightenment to China

Israeli Water Achievements Today and Enlightenment to ChinaSun Lei12, Xu Lanqing'1. Institute of Environmental Science and Enginering. Ocean University of China, Qingdao Shandong 266100, China;2. Department of Soil and Water Scinces, Faculty of Agicultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, the Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem, 76100, Israel;3. Logistics Group of Ocean University of China, Qingdao Shandong 266100, ChinaAbstract: Depite the endemic drought, arid elimate and asso= 2 Current water situations in Israelciated limited freshwater resources, as well as difcult geopolit-ical realities, Israel can provide a reliable supply of high qualityWater is one of the most expensive and least availablewater to a rapidly growing population. The achievements of commodities in Israel, most of its area receives less thanwater supply in Israel can be summarized as water technologies200 mm of rainfall per year, and over 65% of the land is(like water transportation and purifcation, desalination, waste-defined as a desert. Whereas in some of the desert areaswater treatment, effluent reuse, storm water catchment, controlgroundwater may be found, in most cases this is non-systems, rain enhancement and drip irigation, etc.), waterpotable or is of low quality, unless desalinated (Gvirzman,management and legislation as well as water industry. In view 2002).of the national concern regarding the quality and quantity of theDespite water scarcit, water consumption in Israel has beenwatr, the sills technologics and know -how that Israel has ac on the ise, due to both a mapid growth of the county's popu-cumulated in water spply and imigation can give us enighen. latin (2.4 2.6% per year) and increasing living standardment that is also presented in this paper.(ICBS, 2001). Between 1997 and 2001, per capita waterKey words: Israel, China, water technology, water management, consumption in urban areas of Israel increased from 60 towater industry83 m' per year. The most rapid increase in domestic waterconsumption occurred in the places with relaively low wa-1 Current situatlons of global waterter consumption levels before, especially in peripheral areasof the country. Investment in public infrastructure is also onThe etimated figure of the global annual surface waterthe rise, resulting in a gradual increase in water consump-low that is potentially available for human use is 12 500 km'tion. And the positive association can be witnessed betweenper year (Falkenmark and Rockstrom, 2004), and 84.5% ofwater consumption change and local per capita incomesthe annual global freshwater consumption was used in ag-(Portnov and Meir, 2004).riculture in 1995 (Shiklomanov, 1997). Due to the unevendistribution of global feshwater, large areas of the globe 3 Achievements In Israel water fieldsreceive low rainfall and are water deficient. Regions expe-riencing the greatest shortfall of freshwater are the MiddleDespites the endemic drought, arid climate and associ-East, large portions of Africa, some parts of Europe and ated limited freshwater resources, as well as difcult geo-Southeast Asia (Postel, 1997). According to the United Na- political realities, Israel can provide a reliable supply oftions report of the World Water Assessment Programme high quality water to a rapidly growing population, which(UNESCO, 2003), the numbers of people who are lack-is regarded as the impossible dream . The achievementsing improved water supply and improved sanitation are of water supply in Israel can be summarized as water tech-over 1.1 billion and 2.4 billion. So the health risk is rising nologies (like water transportation and purification, desali-by limited access to proper sewage and sanitation. And withnation, wastewater treatment, effluent reuse, storm waterthe population growth, the situation will only worsen in the catchment, control systems, rain enhancement and drip irfuture (Feitelson and Chenoweth, 2002).中国煤化工Coresponding auhor: Sur Lei (le. sunmailhj.c.ilCNMHG72 Chinese Joumal oPpuation, Resources end Environment 2008 VolL. 6 Nio.4industry.water per year. The plant will produce high-quality water,3.1 Advanced and experlenced water technologles Inwhich will be supplied to Israeli residents via primary na-tional water systems. The plant is scheduled to come on lineIsraelin 2011.3.1.1 Qualified water transportation3.1.3 Wastewater treatment and effuent reuseThe National Water Carrier delivers fresh water from theWith the unparalleled experience, know-how, technolo-north, with its fairly abundant rainfall and water sources togies and innovative processes for the management, opera-the dry south, which is a technical challenge that traverses. tion and treatment of all types of water resources, like sur-a wide range of terrains and comprises a network of aquc-face water, underground water, brackish water, seawater andducts, tunnels, reservoirs and pumping stations. The Na-effuents. Israel constantly searches for solutions to increasetional Carrier delivers about 400 million m' of water eachthe water supply. One of these solutions is wastewateryear. The water pumps from 209 meters below sea level ontreatment and efluent reuse for agriculture. Israel aims atthe northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee (reshwater lake) improving the level of the reclaimed water quality, therebyto 150 meters above sea level and then to the Eshkol site,broadening is application as an alternative water source. Inwhere the water undergoes treatment before continuing2005, 350 million m' of efluents were reused in Israel forsouthward.agriculture (75% of the total raw sewage) that is one of theThe central filtration plant at Eshkol site was built at ahighest rates in the world.cost of more than USS 100 million, and has an annual filter-Let's take the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Planting capacity of more than 500 million m', which is the larg-(Shafdan) as an example: the Shafdan treats 130 million m'est plant of its kind in Israel, and one of the largest in the of wastewater annually which serves a population of twoworld. The plant is a global leader in termns of efficiency,million and is responsible for one-third of the total waste-water quality targets and the quantity of water it handles. It water treatment in Israel and is a backup to the aquifers.ensures that Israeli residents will obtain even higher qualityThe effuents from the Shafdan are delivered to infiltrationwater via the National Water Carrier. The central filtrationfields in the sands where they are recharged into the aquiferplant can produce the highest quality of water-below 1 NTUby altemnative regime of fooding and drying. As the water(nephelometric turbidity unit) and maximize water outputseeps through the ground, it undergoes physical, biologicalthrough recycling and treatment of the plant itself generatedand chemical processes that significantly improve the waterwastewater and sludge.quality. The underground water which stays in the CoastalAquifer also serves as a seasonal and multi-annual storage.1.2 Desalination plants to make up water shortagesfor large quantities of water, which is used for rrigation.The total surface water of Israel is 30% of the GalileeThe high quality of the treated wastewater suits all agricul-Region plus 70% of the underground aquifers of the lttoralture crops, with no restriction, at no risk to public healtb.and of the karstic zone, totaling 1600- 1700 Mm' per year.3.1.4 Storm water catchmentHowever, the total consumption should reach 2940 Mm'per year in 2040 (Moatty, 2001). And the remaining vol-Floodwater is the excessive rainfall over a drainage basinume will be supplied by way of large-scale desalination ofthat does not seep into the ground, so an additional potentialseawater. The desalination of seawater constitutes a uniquewater resource is the urban runoff, The concept underlyingsolution for Israel and the region to ensure compensationthe construction of floodwater catchment is the utilizationfor this shortage of water resources and satisfy the demand.of water that flows naturally towards the sea or towardsIsrael has inaugurated two of the world's largest waterareas where groundwater cannot be exploited, resultingdesalination plants on the Mediterranean coast. The Ash-in the loss of the water. Aquifers can work as the naturaldod seawater desalination plant will be one of the mostcatchment to recharge rainwater into aquifers and enrich theadvanced in the world and will produce 100 million m' ofgroundwater both in terms of quantity and quality, since the中国煤化工HCNMHGChinese Joumal of Ppulaion, Resources and Environment 2008 Vol. 6No.473quality of foodwater is usually better than the quality of the50 cm. The buried system is protected against infltrationgroundwater, and the seepage through the earth is similarby tiny roots around the area of the drippers, the material ofto filtering process. Israeli's solution is to store the water which can prevent sprouting nearby.in the aquifers which can hold water for short periods withUniformly discharge of water from every dripper fttedalmost unlimited volume.onto the lateral pipe, which can be realized even on moder-As ever-increasing built-up and paved areas cover moreately sloping terrain.soil, larger quantities of runoff are lost. A number of recent-The development of compensated drippers enables uni-ly completed master plans for settlements in the arid southform imigation on steeper slopes and the ability to extendof the country (Rahamimov, 1997) have introduced newlaterals with drippers over greater distances.concepts for water conseration and aquifer replenishment.Fertilizers can also be supplied to the plant together withThese include retaining rainwater in roofs and gardens, andthe water through the drippers. Water and fertilizers arepromoting its percolation into the soil. Such a strategy has adelivered directly to the root system rather than to the totaltwofold advantage- promoting use of otherwise lost water,area of the field, thereby economizing on both water andwhile minimizing runoff damages. Although seemingly afertilizers.simple solution, it is nevertheless one that needs very care-It is also possible to use saline or brackish water in dripful design and safety margins. Meanwhile, Israel also buildsirigation systems. This is due to the fact that drip irigationand operates plants for effective and proper exploitationcauses the salts to be continuously washed away from theof floodwaters. The water is colleceted in reservoirs, whereroot system, avoiding salt accumulation in the immediatesome of it is penetrating into the ground for later pumpingproximity of the roots.in wells during summer, and some of it is combined directlyDrip irigation products can also be useful in wet cli-with the national water system.mates to rapidly increase the growth of trees and output of3.1.5 Command control and water quality monitoringtimber.systems3.2 Water management and legslationThe operation of Israel's water supply systems is basedon sophisticated, computerized remote-control systems,3.2.1 Water managementwhich ensure the reliability, availability, safety and highWith the notion 'more water for more people', Israelquality of the water supply. The complex monitoring sys-tems can save manpower and energy and reduce water loss.provides water for over 7 million people, despite being inThe water tests in Israel can evaluate water and sew-one of the world's most arid regions. The water supply sys-age according to approximnately 200 chemical and physicaltem in Israel incorporates water resources, surface water,parameters checking for a large variety of organic, bacterio-aquifers and desalination water as well as regional water fa-cilities, which enables reliable supply, mobility, operationallogical and microscopic substances.flexibility and centralized monitoring and control in differ-3.1.6 Rain enhancementent directions as required.Israel is a global leader in rain enhancement. An aver-Traditional skills such as planning, management, ef-age of 13-18% rainfall enhancement can be obtained in theficiency and paying meticulous attention to infrastructurenorth part of Israel annually.maintenance have allowved the country to optimize its limit-ed water resources. Infrastructure eficiency and the cutting-3.1.7 Low pressure irrigation makes every drop countedge innovative technologies have enabled Israel to makeIsrael owns pioneered low-pressure drip irigation tecb-relatively scarce water resources serve an ever-growingnologies, which is the most efficient method of irigationpopulation. The fact that Israel has been able to sucessfullywhen it comes to water saving. The experienced advantagesmanage its very limited water resources to meet the needsin this feld can be summarized as follows.of a fast growing and increasingly afuent population hasDrip irigation laterals are always buried at a depth ofbeen中国煤化工zation.CNMHG74 Chinese Joumal of Population, Resources and Eniroment 2008 VoL 6 No.43.2.2 Water security and water protectionprofessional bodies, especially in agriculture and waterIsrael has extensive experience in guarding its waterisues. With the promotion and assistance of the Israeliresources from growing global threats, and comprehensivegovemment, water industry organizations and scientific in-water security strategy has been developed with the goal ofstitutes, expect an increase of 28% in Israel's water technol-minimizing the damage from accidental contamination ofogy exports from 2007.water supplies and terrorist activity.4 Enlightenment for China3.2.3 LegisationsIn Israel, different countrywide campaigns have been4.1 Curent water stuatlon In ChInaundertaken to promote the conservation of water resources:cotton plantations were almost totally banned some 154.1.1 Water shortageyears ago, strict restrictions have been imposed on privateFig. 1 shows per capita water resources in China betweenswimming pools, and watering lawns during day hours has1950 and 2050, based on the assumption that total waterbeen forbidden (Knesset Israel, 2002). Occasional cuts inwater allocations for agriculture were also announced (lsraelresources will remain constant in the future. FalkenmarkStress Indicator (FSI) was used in this figure to classify theMinistry of Agriculture, 2003).degree of water shortage based on per capita liquid water3.3 Sclence Is the first productivity- -water Industry Inresource availability (surface water flow or groundwaterIsraelrecharge). China approaches but remains above the FSIthreshold of 1700 m' per year as its population levels off.Israel has always been a fertile source of innovativeClassification of the degree of water security of a givenwater technologies, with the aims at doubling the value ofcountry may be done in a variety of ways. However, due toexports of Israel's water technology products and solutionsthe inequality of water distribution in China, the nationaland attracting overseas investment, nurturing R&D withaverage can not be too optimistic, as approximately half ofintermational partners and enabling approximately 70 Israelithe population is in the north part of China, where only 20%start-ups to leverage their advantages and become majorof national water resources are found. Thus, in the Northplayers in the USS450 bllion annual global water market.part of China, the per capita resources would be only 40%From the government point of view, lsrael Export andof those shown in Fig. 1, and would drop to a low value ofInternational Cooperation Institute, Israel's Minstry of In-770 m' per year, fllig well below the FSI threshold (Jurydustry, Trade and Labor and Foreign Trade Administrationand Vaux, 2007).join hands to promote the export of Israel's advanced waterand environmental solutions.From scientific point of view, the academic institutes in5000Israel provide details about courses and degrees in water4000technologies, and Israel's universities also provide richroots for technology start-ups to transfom innovative ideas3000into marketable products.From the water industry organization point of view,2000Israel NEWTech (Novel Efficient Water Technologies) isIsrael's national program for prormoting the country's waterindustry and deepening cooperation with multinational bod-ies. MASHAV is the center for international cooperation of195019701990 20102030 2050Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provides coursesYearand consultancies in cooperation with relevant govemmentministries, as well as universities, research institutions and中国煤化工tree 19590 and 2050*MYHCNMHGChinese Jourmal of Population, Resources and Environment 2008 Vol. 6No.4 754.1.2 Water pollutionsricultural water usage, owns the highest irigation eficiencyAs shown in Fig. 2, which uses the data from Pacifc In-in the world, up to 60%, though in the most arid region. Thestitute (2007), it is still a long way for China to reach com-skills, technologies and know-how that Israel has accumu-plete access to safe drinking water. The situation is evenlated in water supply and irigation over the past decadescan give us ilumination to improve the imigation efficiencyworse in rural areas.and it is possible to tum the water shortage crisis in China100， 十Urban一Rurnl - ★Totalinto an economical growth engine.In view of the national concern regarding the quality and90quantity of the water, besides critically focusing on the im-区80proving of irigation eficiency, the following measures arealso urgently needed to be accomplished:菜70transfering large agricultural areas from the urbanizedparts of the country to the expanse of remote or desert ar-60eas, and creating green gloves and fertile agricultural fields50in previously arid and desolated areas;1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002improving the water balance through the diversion of aYearlarge quantity of fresh water to domestic and industrial use;Fig.2 Fraction of population in China with access to safe drink.investing efforts and resources in wastewater treatmenting waterand effluent reuse for irigation as the contribution to thewater balance and preventing the contamination of waterMeanwhile, over 80% of river lengths in the Haihe and resources;Huaihe river basins are classified as very highly pollutedrepairing and maintaining infrastructures, metering waterand cannot meet any designated beneficial uses, and it is use, pricing water ealitically, and performing educationestimated that as much as 20% of domestic river water isand other conservation programs;too polluted for even irigation purposes (Postel, 1999). .reduce other potential contamination of ground water,Currently, heavy metal pollutions in China always happenTable 1 Comparison of freshwater withdrawal and distributiontoday. For instance, in the industrial area of Huludao, north-CountyChnaIsraeleast of China, the concentration of Hg, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu2000via foodstuff for the adults and children exceeds the limits49.762.05varying from 1.5 to 39.6% (Zheng et al, 2007). AccordingPer capita withdrawal (m'/p/yr)4130Domestic use (%)31to the statstics, 300 million people are living in endemicIndutrial use (%)26areas of fluorosis, of whom 40 million have dental fluorosisAgricultural use (%)6862and 3 million suffer from skeletal changes (Li and Cao,Domestic use (m/ply)22941994).Industial use (m'/p/yn)1020Agricultural use (m/p/yr)2818.2 Comparison and enlghtenment_Population of year 2005 (millions)1323.35The supply of adequate quantities of high-quality waterhas become a tremendous challenge in China. As shownTable 2 Comparison of Irrigation area and efficiencyin Table 1 which use the data from Pacific Institute (2007)RegionImigated area (Mha) Imganon eficiencn.%)China48.035and Table 2 which is adapted from Wood et al. (2001), theMiddle EastNorth Afica22.6largest part of water consumption in China is in agriculturalNorth America21.653use, which reaches 68%, however, the irigation efficiencyLatin Ameria16245is only 39% even lower than the average of the world. Isra-16.7741el, which is also an agricultural country considering the ag-中国煤化工TYHCNMHG76 Chinese Joumal of Population, Resources and Envionment 2008 Vol. 6No.4rehabilitating water sources and utilizing environnentallyon the Water System in Israel (in Hebrew)friendly technologies;Li J and Cao s, 1994. Recent studies on cndemic fuorosis in China.promoting strategies and policies of sewage treatmentFluoride, 27(33): 125-128for agricultural purposes, brackish and sea water desalina- Matty N, 2001. Water management and desalination in Israel. Desali-.tion, limitations on agricultural and private use, etc.nation, 136(1): 101-104Pacific lstitute, 2007. Freshwater Withdrawal by Country and Sector,Acknowledgement: This study is sponsored by China ScholarshipTable 2. Avalable Online: www.worldwater.org/data .htmlCouncil (Grant No. LJC (2007]3020) and Scholarship Fund granted Portnov B A and Meir I, 2004. Urban water consumption in Israel:by the Board of Directors of lgud Yotzei Sin in Israel and Israel-Chinaconvergence or divergence? Eovironmental Science and Policy,Friendship Society.11(4): 347-358Postel s, 1997. Lost Oasis. New York W.W. Norton & CompanyReferencesPostel s, 199. Pllar of Sand. New York: W.W. Norton & CompanyRahaminov A, 1997. North Eilat Strategic Plan. Final Report. Je-Falkenmark M and Rockstrom J, 2004. Balancing Water for Humansrusalem: Israel Ministry of Construction and Housing and Eilatand Nature. London: EarthscanMunicipalityFeitelson E and Chenoweth J, 2002. 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