Water Management and efficiency through Policy & Innovation

India and Israel are cooperating intensively in the field of water management by sharing

knowledge, technologies, and gained experience. The two countries are working on the ground

to implement Israeli technologies and knowledge tailored to India’s local conditions and

demand.

Minister of Jal Shakti H.E. Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat conducted a historic visit to Israel as

part of the “WATEC” event in Israel in the month of October 2019. We are presently working on

identifying joint areas of activities in order to implement large scale Indo-Israel Water Solutions

in India.

Indian farmers have been using Israeli drip irrigation technology since 1993. Under the

Indo-Israeli Agricultural Project (IIAP), Israel is currently providing expertise, technical know-how

and training to Indian farmers in water management practices at 28 different, fully active

Centers of Excellence in India.

A Strategic Partnership in Water was signed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018. Currently, there are over 30 Israeli water projects in

India. Also, over 7 desalination plants in India are using Israeli desalination technologies. As

part of the strategic partnership between India and Israel, we are working towards establishing

the “INDIA-ISRAEL BUNDELKHAND Uttar Pradesh WATER PROJECT”. This project aims to

demonstrate large-scale solutions through three key-components of the value chain.

(1) Generating water and water transportation to farmers’ fields: based on rainwater

harvesting, minimizing infrastructure costs by placing the reservoirs as close as possible to

farms, reclamation of reservoirs to optimize water-holding capacity, infiltration of the water from

upper reservoir into existing aquifer.

(2) Pahuj Integrated Drip Irrigation Project: proposed for an area of 3660 ha, under Block

Babina Dist Jhansi, covering 25 villages. The proposed area covers irrigation water sourced

from Pahuj dam. The goal is to increase the overall irrigation efficiency by implementing a

pressurized pipe distribution network (HDPE/PVC) thus reducing evaporation/water loss, and by

implementing Drip Irrigation, thus optimizing water use efficiency. Smart accurate irrigation will

result in increased productivity, thereby increasing income levels for farmers.

(3) Advanced & Comprehensive agriculture ecosystem: This is a full end-to-end value chain

approach based on Agro-technology innovation. The ecosystem incorporates long term

planning, collaborating with FPO (Farmers’ Producer Organization) to create a shared platform

of infrastructure and knowledge. It Implements precision agriculture based on drip-irrigation,

Ariel imaging, sensors etc., for modern agriculture infrastructures such as Greenhouse

technology, new value crops, and advanced nurseries. Machinery ag-solutions enable

Post-Harvest management and market linkage.

The Israeli water story:

Israel has achieved full water security despite extreme challenges of water scarcity, climate

change and an increasing demand for water, thanks to the “Israel model of water

management”.

Israel is mostly desert (60% of the land), its rainfall pattern is irregular, and annual average

rainfall is decreasing due to climate change; Israel's population has grown 15-fold while the

country's economy grew 70-fold.

“Israel model of water management”is based on four pillars:

1. POLICY - Israel’s water policy, regulations and laws: State agencies have played an

important role in the country becoming a world leader in water, by defining strategic water

related policies such as declaring water a state owned resource. At the same time, the State

has committed to ensuring water supply to every sector/user (agriculture, industry &

households). In addition, the State has established Israel’s Water Authority, which is a single

organization overseeing all water-related activities from regulation to implementation.

2. INFRASTRUCTURE - Israel generates state-of –the-art water infrastructure and

alternative water sources –

● National Water System to Connect All Water Infrastructure

● Interception of Surface Water Run-Off and Recharge

Historically, water sources for all sectors derived from the sole fresh-water lake in Israel, “Lake

Kinneret” and from the coastal and mountain Aquifers, which are used as Reservoirs. Over the

years, Israel has developed into a modern state with higher water demand, while annual

rainfall levels have decreased and level of water in the lake and on the aquifers have been

reduced accordingly. The State of Israel decided to tackle the challenge of water deficit by

generating new alternative water sources; and in this regard, three main areas of activity were

developed:

● Desalinating Sea Water for use as Drinking Water- Currently Israel has five large

scale Desalination Stations along its coastline supplying sufficient drinking water to its

citizens. These were built on the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model.

● Recycling Sewage Water for Agriculture Use- Over 90 % of urban sewage Water is

treated, purified and reused for Irrigation of Agricultural crops.

● Desalinating Brackish Water for the use of Drinking and Agriculture- In places

where Saline Water exists desalination stations are established and the desalinated

water is used in Agriculture and civil sectors.

3. INNOVATION - Key Innovations in the Israeli Water Sector– Here are three examples of

Israeli water innovations-

● Drip Irrigation- Drip Irrigation, the most efficient irrigation method in the world, was

invented in Israel, and attains 95% water use efficiency. It enables farmers to irrigate

accurately and achieve maximum yields while saving water.

● Precision Agriculture solutions benefit the farmer who will have better options to

produce more and optimize natural resources. PA enables accurate irrigation by using

Satellite and Drone images analyzing real time climate, crop and soil data on a large

scale and with high resolution.

● Water meters technologies and management- Measuring water enables us to manage

water and attain operational effectiveness using advanced water meters and real-time

detection of problem situations. Accurate and reliable water flow data digitally report

online water use while meter data help utilities supervise, manage and control their

metering networks.

4. AWARENESS - Israel promotes water awareness and implements water pricing, a

crucial component in preserving the resource. Israel educates the population in water

preservation through different media. In addition, consumers are charged for the use of water,