(Irish Times) Mark Weiss - Arid conditions combine with population growth and poor infrastructure to make water the Middle East's most precious asset. Israel has emerged as a world leader in water technology after solving its own acute water crisis. The country's water revolution was accomplished through a combination of a national campaign to conserve and reuse dwindling water resources and a new wave of state-of-the art desalination plants. Innovative water treatment systems recapture 86% of the water that goes down the drain for irrigation use. Today, up to 80% of water for domestic use flows from large coastal desalination plants. Desalination used to be very expensive, but by incorporating advanced technologies, Israel has brought the price of desalinated water down to just a third of what it cost in the 1990s. Tackling leakage is also a crucial element in water conservation. Israel's 7-8% leakage rate is the lowest in the world, compared to up to 30% in many other countries.
2019-07-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive