Solving the Water Crisis: Israel’s Story with Seth M. Siegel

Situated in a semiarid region, Israel’s natural water resources supply it with only half of what it uses annually. The gap is being bridged by a unique combination of implemented technology, education and smart governance that enables more water to be manufactured and used. The result – a thriving country with a booming economy.

However, the story of the Israeli water sector was very rarely told. In 2015 Seth Siegel – an American author publishes a book that almost instantaneously finds its way to the bestseller lists of the New-York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

This episode of Waterline features the full interview with Seth Siegel about his book Let There Be Water – Israel’s Solution for a Water Starved World.
The interview was conducted in September of 2017.

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Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag.

Image Sources:

Seth M. Siegel Photo By 1114Penelope – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42285616

“Let There Be Water” Book Cover Image by:  Seth Siegel – Seth M. Siegel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40093385

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“Desalting the Sea” – Desalination

The rainy season of 2017-2018 in Israel marked the 6th year of drought in a row. However – water is still available on tap 24/7.
In a semi-arid land, any drop missing from the annual natural precipitation creates a deficit. Six years of diminished precipitation might spell disaster. And yet – if you look at a satellite image of Israel – you see a green blotch in the desert.

A key component in Israel’s water management system is desalination – the topic of this episode.

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Interviewed in this Episode:

Oded Distel – head of Israel NewTech.

Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne – senior scientist and lecturer, ETH Zurich.

Prof. Emeritus Raphael SemiatTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Seth Siegel – author of Let There Be Water.

Tami Shor – Senior deputy director general for regulation, Israeli Water Authority.

Ziv Shor – V.P. Projects, IDE.

Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag.

Music credits:
Local Forecast – Elevator Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Water Makes the World Go ‘Round” – The Water Economy

Water is a global issue as much as it is a local issue.
Water is life – anyone will tell you that. However, when was the last time you thought about water and the role it plays in the global economy?

I am sure you can tell me the price of a used car but are you able to tell me the value (in real monetary terms) of the water you consume? in this episode, we take a deeper look at the water economy.

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Interviewed in this episode are:

Oded Distel – Head of Israel NewTech.

Dr. Xavier Leflaive – Principle Administrator, Water Team, OECD.

Paul O’Callaghan – Founder & CEO, BlueTech Research.

Henk Ovink – Special Envoy International Water Affairs, Government of the Netherlands.

Will SarniWater strategist and consultant.

Seth Siegel – Author of Let There Be Water.

Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag.

“Every Drop Counts” – Urban Water Distribution

It is midnight. The house is quiet, and everybody is asleep. You are reminded that the faucet in the kitchen is faulty by the constant drip-drip-drip-drip noise it makes. You toss and turn – but not alarmed; just ever so slightly annoyed. If you allow it to drip at a rate of a drop a second during one year, you’ve wasted an amount equivalent to 15 years worth of a person’s water consumption.

Municipalities worldwide are losing an alarming amount of up to 60% of pristine freshwater due to unseen faulty infrastructure.
In this episode of Waterline, we’ll discuss urban water distribution.

Our guest, Zohar Yinon, CEO of Jerusalem’s water and wastewater utility company – a world leader in curtailing the loss of water in a municipal system – shares the solutions implemented.
At its core – a technological innovation where big data plays an impressive role.

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Interviewed in this episode are:

Oded Distel – head of Israel NewTech.

Seth Siegel – author of Let There Be Water.

Zohar Yinon – CEO of Hagihon – Jerusalem’s water and wastewater utility company. He was chosen as one of the 50 most impactful leaders in Water & Water management (global listing) for CSR Day 2018.

Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag.

Water for All – Regulation

Israel is in a semi-arid region. Global climate changes create longer drought periods in the region. And yet, looking from above, one can see green fields and forests, and high-quality water is delivered to homes, businesses, farmers and the industry 24/7. Several components contribute to this success, but it all begins with the Israeli Water Law, passed in 1959.

In this episode, we see how Israeli water regulation, stemming from the Water Law, enables self-sufficiency and continuous growth – even when drought hits hard.
We will explore the Californian model of regulation in contrast to the Israeli one, and what are the benefits they possess.

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Interviewed in this Episode:

Felicia Marcus – Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, California.

Oded Distel – head of Israel NewTech.

Seth Siegel – author of Let There Be Water.

Tami Shor – Senior deputy director general for regulation, Israeli Water Authority.

Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag.

“Water & Peace” – Hydropolitics

More often than not – water has been a source of deadly conflicts worldwide.
For example, the spark that ignited the Syrian civil war is attributed to the country’s poor management of its water sector.
Are we able – in this day and age, when water scarcity is a growing global phenomenon – to create a paradigm shift towards a water-based conflict resolution? this episode of Waterline focuses on hydro politics.

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Interviewed in this episode:

Oded Distel – head of Israel NewTech
Seth Siegel – author of Let There Be Water 
Dr. Tabea StotterICPR 
Tami Shor – Senior deputy director general for regulation, Israeli Water Authority
Zohar Yinon – CEO of Hagihon – Jerusalem’s water and wastewater utility company. He was chosen as one of the 50 most impactful leaders in Water & Water management (global listing) for CSR Day 2018.

Theme and music composed by Nir Sayag

Additional music:
The Descent Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Modern Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Black Vortex” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Want Not? Waste Not!” – Wastewater

Have you ever thought about the vast potential there is in the water (and, er… the… ahhh… ingredients, let’s say) you flush down the toilet?

Discarded wastewater – once treated – has an economic and ecologic value that can drive a nation’s economy and even light up your house. How? All inside this episode of Waterline.

Interviewed in this episode: 

Seth Siegel, author of Let There be Water – Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World

Zohar Yinon – CEO of Hagihon – Jerusalem’s regional water & wastewater utility company. He was chosen as one of the 50 most impactful leaders in Water & Water management (global listing) for CSR Day 2018.

Oded Distel – head of Israel NewTech.

Download Episode

Music credits:
Winner Winner! Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Local Forecast – Elevator Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/