Israel is in a semi-arid climate zone, with more than 60 percent of its land covered by desert. It is considered one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, experiencing annual extreme variations in precipitation, as well as multiple and consecutive years of drought.
From its early years of statehood, Israel needed to address the challenge of water scarcity, a fact that has undoubtedly shaped the development of the Israeli water sector over the past seven decades.
To survive and strive, Israel had no choice but to adapt and develop a series of innovative water technologies and practices, as well as national water resources and systems reforms.
This approach, encompassing good management, high-tech development and public education, has transformed Israel from a water-parched nation to a global leader in the water sector.
In Israel, the balance between water demand and supply shows a constant deficit, growing from year to year. The permanent challenge is to close the gap.
Furthermore, and most importantly, natural replenishment of water resources is challenged by the effects of climate change: Droughts are more frequent, more intense and occur for longer periods.
Managing the national water sector, while coping with scarcity, poses a complex challenge that requires an optimal response.
Israel’s water sector has undergone significant changes in almost all aspects: physical, structural, legislative and organizational, following the understanding that the only possible way to cope with natural water shortage on one hand, and a growing population and life quality standards on the other, was to adopt and implement an integrated water resources management approach.
To achieve a reliable water supply, Israel has over the years gradually implemented holistic and integrative policies, combining institutional and infrastructure reforms.
These include a national water system connecting all regional water infrastructures to a national level system and the large-scale reuse of treated wastewater for agriculture. Reclaimed wastewater has become a major source of water for farmers, supplying more than 40 percent of the country’s needs for irrigation, with almost 90 percent of wastewater being reused.
The policies also include the development of large-scale desalination plants (in Israel there are six plants that provide more than 80 percent of the country’s domestic and industrial water needs); the creation of a supporting environment for water innovation, for example through the establishment of a unique industry-utility-university ecosystem; the promotion of demand management and public awareness through a major government-initiated water conservation campaign; and the development and installation of efficient irrigation technologies, and investment in innovation.
During these challenging times for Taiwan, when the water resources issue is becoming more critical and urgent, Israel stands ready to share its experience and innovative technologies in water management and treatment.
Particularly, as a global leader in desalination, Israel can help address the growing water needs of the Taiwanese industry.
Israeli companies are supplying millions of cubic meters of fresh water every day, in dozens of facilities around the world for various uses. The vast knowledge and experience gained in Israel can help Taiwan guarantee its water needs for many years to come.
Omer Caspi is the representative of Israel in Taiwan.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of