Dr. Clive Lipchin, director of the Centre for Transboundary Water Management in Israel gave a most enlightening talk at the University of Cape Town on 13 February.
The lecture was hosted by South African Friends of Israel and it was a great opportunity to hear about Israel’s experiences with water and to understand what South Africa can learn from his country. He spoke about the shared challenges that Israel and South Africa face when it comes to water; both countries are water scarce and have a high population growth. He highlighted that the turning point for Israel was the acknowledgement that relying on natural water was not sustainable and that alternative water resources needed to be established.
Dr Lipchin elaborated on the non-conventional means of securing water in Israel; desalination and the productive use of treated waste water in agriculture. He also noted the environmental and political benefits of relying on alternative water resources.
South Africa relies solely on natural water and can learn a great deal from Israel, who used to be in the same position but can now boast a water surplus. Water is an issue of tremendous importance to all South Africans and Dr Lipchin’s talk outlining Israel’s water progress provided a significant and optimistic framework for our country.
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