Seven years ago, Israel faced a severe drought. Now, thanks to a combination of new technologies and new policies, water shortages are a thing of the past. Isabel Kershner writes:
Today, there is plenty of water in Israel. . . . As California and other western areas of the United States grapple with an extreme drought, a revolution has taken place [in the Jewish state]. A major national effort to desalinate Mediterranean seawater and to recycle wastewater has provided the country with enough water for all its needs, even during severe droughts. More than 50 percent of the water for Israeli households, agriculture, and industry is now artificially produced.
Israel has . . . become the world leader in recycling and reusing wastewater for agriculture. It treats 86 percent of its domestic wastewater and recycles it for agricultural use—about 55 percent of the total water used for agriculture. Spain is second to Israel, recycling 17 percent of its effluent, while the United States recycles just 1 percent.
Read more on New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/world/middleeast/water-revolution-in-israel-overcomes-any-threat-of-drought.html