​April 12, 2016, Bengaluru:
Israel’s Water Authority Spokesman and Officer of Information, Mr. Uri Schor and Mr. Mordechay D. P. Rodgold, Director of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Bengaluru on the 11th and 12th of April, 2016.

Mr. Uri Schor participated as a guest of honor in New Delhi for the ‘India Water Week Expo’ (4-8 April, 2016) where Israel was the partner country; afterwards Mr. Schor came to Bengaluru for presentations and interactive sessions with NAMMA Bengaluru, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). Mr. Schor shared Israel’s experience, guidelines and the concept of ‘public awareness and participation’ in a successful water conservation campaign that recently took place in Israel, and also discussed the process of improving water quality and treating lakes pollution in the urban areas.

Mr. Mordechay D. P. Rodgold, that was acting, during 2002-2006, as the representative of Israel to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and to the World Food Program (WFP) in Rome, shared the multilateral aspects of water conservation and encouraged global cooperation to prevent local water shortage.

The visitors were hosted and accompanied by the Consul General in Bengaluru, Ms. Yael Hashavit, which took forward the events and activities of promoting Israeli water technologies in South India, as main subject of the Israeli diplomatic efforts in 2016.
Ms. Yael Hashavit, Consul General of Israel in Bengaluru, mentioned that Israel had passed through 7 years of severe drought and managed to get over this national crisis by using cutting edge technologies, on one hand, and successful promotion of water saving by the public, on the other. Moreover, she informed the audience that using Israeli water technologies, nowadays more than 60% of the water in Israel is recycled or desalinated water. Ms. Hashavit expressed that, as Karnataka (and more states in India) suffer from a similar tragic crisis that affects so many families in rural areas and also in urban areas, the State of Israel wishes to assist and share with its Indian friends some of Israel’s experience that might be of a good use for the people.

Mr. Uri Schor, Spokesman of the Israeli Water Authority, explained that a successful public campaign for water conservation can bring to a deduction of 10%-20% in water consumption. Such water crisis happen all over the world – in California, in Australia, in Israel and in India – it is a global problem and one should not blame his local government, but take actions to change it. As per Mr. Schor, the most important message in such campaign is letting the individual understand the general impact of his water saving actions. It worked successfully in Israel and he offered the Indian authorities’ to try and help in reproducing such campaign in Karnataka.