The Evolution of Israeli Water Management: The Elusive Search for Environmental Security
Publisher: Anthem Press
Author(s): Alon Tal
Date: 2017
Topics: Cooperation, Governance, Renewable Resources
Countries: Israel
This chapter examines the different challenges associated with the establishment of Israel’s water- management program. It is well to ask whether the Israeli experience still constitutes a relevant model for other dryland nations given the emergence of desalination as a technological solution to water scarcity. Despite dramatic accomplishments, which can and should be recognized, Israel has made many mistakes that have created fundamentally ethical dilemmas: Given present exigencies and economic demands, does mining an aquifer, diverting water sources to the Dead Sea or irreversibly contaminating groundwater compromise notions of transgenerational justice? Are the institutional frameworks that have emerged to manage these resources adequate to address the growing population and demands for regional water sharing? In particular, can Israel’s water- management successes be translated into cooperative transboundary efforts that produce collective sustainability and true water security for the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian peoples?