Israel: Water Problem is International – it Crosses Borders and Political Disputes

The Minister of National Infrastructures, Mr. Binyamin (Fuad) Ben – Eliezer concludes last month state – professional visit in Kazakhstan, focused on the International Water Convention in the city of Almaty, which he attended as a guest of honor.

During the opening ceremony of the convention, Minister Ben – Eliezer met ministers of water of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. They discussed options for cooperation between the countries and the Minister invited his colleagues to a visit in Israel.

The Minister, accompanied by the Manager of the Water Authority, Prof. Uri Shani and the Mayor of Almaty, visited the exhibition of the convention and was impressed by the displays of Israeli and international companies.

The Israeli water sector proved itself as one of the most active and advanced with the development of many projects such as water desalination plants in Ashdod and Ashkelon, which produce 100 million cubic meters and 30 million cubic meters per year respectively.

The desalination facility in Hadera, which within two years will produce 100 million cubic meters of water per year, the same as Ashkelon, will continue this success. At least two additional facilities are planned in Ashdod and Sorek.

In addition, Israel is a world leading country in the area of recycling of water for agriculture and industry. I do recommend to you to exploit Israeli's experience and technological tools, here and in other countries.

Recently, our national water company, Mekorot, completed a phenomenal achievement by construction of a half a billion $ filtering facility designed to treat the drinking water of the country. It is just another example of our abilities.

The purpose of such a convention is to learn and teach. In my vision I see Israel as the Silicon Valley of the water technology industry. I hereby invite all of you to exploit the knowhow and capabilities of Israel and its companies, and make us active participants in projects all over the world.

The Manager of the Water Authority, Prof. Uri Shani, listed in his speech the main reasons for the water problem the world face now, among them: destruction of fresh water sources, including aquifers and fresh water reservoirs; waste of water as the result of leaking piping – a widespread phenomenon in the western world as well as in developing countries; and climate changes as the result of global warming.