Israeli entrepreneurs make sure every drop of water counts
Posted: Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:36 PM
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Tel Aviv, Israel
By Paul Goldman, NBC News Producer
TEL AVIV – Israelis this week were shocked to hear that starting in January 2010, their monthly water bill will cost 40 percent more.
Being in an extremely arid climate, every school age child in Israel is constantly reminded that water scarcity is a critical national issue. The slogan "Every Drop Counts" is repeated over and over in schools and by the media. Water supplies have gotten so low that now Israelis will not only need to stop watering their gardens and take shorter showers, but will also have to pay more for every drop.
But the issue has created a great catalyst for private Israeli companies to develop innovative ways to recycle wastewater, desalinate water and irrigate more efficiently.
The Water Technologies, Renewable Energy and Environmental Control (WATEC) exhibition in Tel Aviv this week showcased companies from all over the world working on water issues.
The exhibition had companies ranging from the makers of huge water valves to educational organizations like the Israeli Ein Shemer Greenhouse facility. The facility invites school kids, researchers and businessmen to build environmental projects emphasizing the need to educate the next generation.
A special hall was dedicated to hi-tech companies. One that caught my eye was called Emefcy that is developing innovative ways to create energy out of waste water treatment.
"We’re developing a waste treatment device that will not consume any energy for treating the waste water," said Eytan Levy, Emefcy’s CEO. "But will produce electricity directly from electrodes that are immersed in the waste water
Researchers predict that water, and not oil, will emerge as a major cause of conflict in the future, particularly in the Middle East. That’s one reason why water in Israel is a national priority. Israel is predicting that by 2012 most of its agricultural water will come from recycled sewage. And that five years from now, when an Israeli citizen turns on their tap, most of the water, if not all, will be from desalination.
I was ready to leave the exhibition when I noticed a woman with a "KENYA" badge on. It drew my attention since I just returned from a reporting trip there. I approached the woman, Jacqueline Musyoki, to get her take on the exhibition. "Oh, I have such a headache," she said, laughing and holding her head. "All this high-tech is giving me a headache."
All she was a looking for was a simple filter that she could buy for kids in Kenya so they can filter dirt out of water often taken from unsanitary rural water holes. I sent her to the information desk looking for a product called a "life straw" which does just that.
