Sorek Desalination Plant in Israel

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel. During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to China this March, the two countries announced an innovative comprehensive partnership.

Israel's attractiveness to China is not limited to the hi-tech fields, the water sphere has also gained more and more attention --  founded on a dry strip of land smaller than New Hampshire, saddled with absorbing millions of immigrants, Israel has been worried about water for a very long time. Today, it leads the way in solving problems of water supply, spearheading efforts to deal with water leakage, farming efficiency, recycling waste, desalination, pricing policy, and education. This has resulted in a water revolution unlike anywhere else on earth; a revolution not just of technology, but of thought, policy, and culture. 

The "National Business Daily" reporter has recently set foot in Israel to explore the "water" mystery, as well as to decipher the innovative code behind the water economy.

"Israel's annual water consumption totals 2.03 billion cubic meters, but the average annual natural water supply is only 1.17 billion cubic meters, which leaves a 45% water shortfall", said Oded Distel, director of the Israel NewTech program in the Foreign Investment and Industrial Cooperation in Israel's Ministry of Economy and Industry.

Like most of countries that face water shortage, Israel has tried to solve the problem many times. Today, seawater desalination technology has been installed for decades, the world's two largest desalination plants are located in Israel. In the field of urban sewage treatment, reclaimed water has been widely used for agricultural irrigation. Data released in 2014 showed that more than 40% of the agricultural water has been replaced from the original tap water for the reclaimed water.

"In Israel, an important principle in the water sphere is that, profits from water prices are used to cover the cost of water conservancy facilities, and also raise public awareness of water conservation", said Tami Shor, the Senior Deputy to the Director of the Israeli Water Authority.

The WATEC Israel, an international professional exhibition, is to be held in Tel Aviv from September 12-14, which would offer a platform to showcase latest technologies in water and environment.

In addition, Mr. Hezi Bilik, Water Israel Water Authority's Contamination Prevention Regulator and Water Technologies Promoter, will visit Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province in late June. During his visit, Chengdu will host "Sino-Israel Water Technology Chengdu Seminar", which is expected to further promote the two countries' technical exchanges and cooperation in the field of water technology.

Email: lijia@nbd.com.cn