Clive Lipchin, PhD and Shmuel Brenner, PhD Arava Institute for Environmental Studies arava

1. The Emergence of Desalination Technologies as a Means of Augmenting Water Supply and Ameliorating Conflict in the Middle East Clive Lipchin, PhD and Shmuel Brenner, PhD Arava Institute for Environmental Studies www.arava.org

2. Water Stress Worldwide: 1995-2025 Source: UNEP, GRID, Arendal, Oswald

3. SOURCES OF WATER 3 Major Sources: • Jordan River System / Kinneret • Mountain Aquifer • Coastal Aquifer

4. Chronic Water Scarcity For Reference: <1000 m3/cap/yr - Water Poor <500 m3/cap/yr - Chronic Water Scarcity U.S. => 9,710 m3/cap/yr World average 7,000 m3/cap/yr Israel => 270-300 m3/cap/yr (340 w/sewage) Jordan => 230 m3/cap/yr (245 w/sewage) Palestinians => 95 m3/cap/yr Lebanon => 1,300 m3/cap/yr

5. ME Water Resources – Water Crisis Water level of the mountain aquifer

7. Water Culture in the ME • Israel • Western/Zionist Attitudes • Technological Optimism • Hegemony of Agriculture (national level) • Water as a commodity (public ownership, privatization) • Despite scarcity, little public input in decision making

8. WATER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK • All Water is Property of the State • National Water Commission (NWC) Allocates Water to Users • NWC Has Responsibility to Allocate “in the Public’s Interest”

9. Potable water consumption by purpose in percentages (Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2004)

10. Inherent Water Problems • Global climate change • Increasing standard of living = Rising demand • Commitments to the neighbors • Deterioration of water quality • Overexploitation of surface and ground waters • Pricing

11. The Promise of Desalination Seawater/brackish water Drinking water

12. Office of the Governor of Texas SAN ANTONIO -Gov. Rick Perry today called for the construction of the state's first large-scale ocean water desalination plant as one step toward securing an abundant water supply to meet Texas' future needs……… Press Release -April 29, 2002

13. Time-Series of Global Desalination Capacity, January 2005 The bars show annual new installed capacity, and the line shows cumulative installed capacity. Source: Cooley, H. et. al. (2006) Desalination with a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective. Pacific Institute

14. Countries with More Than 1% of Global Desalination Capacity, January 2005 Source: Cooley, H. et. al. (2006) Desalination with a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective. Pacific Institute

15. The Promise of Desalination • Efficient technology • MSF/RO • Good quality product • Drinking water • The price is right • $0.50/cubic meter • But… desalination is an industrial process

16. Seawater desalination capacity in cbm/day in the Mediterranean basin

17. Desalination is an Industrial Process • Inputs • Seawater/brackish water • Energy • Outputs • Waste/brine • Air Emissions • Externalities • Coastal/inland impact • Noise pollution • So…there are costs as well as benefits Reverse Osmosis Membrane Units Source: Halcrow Water Services http://www.hwsdesalination.com/Membrane%20Desalination.html

19. Ashkelon Desalination Plant • Largest Seawater RO plant in the world • A cost of $220,000,000 to construct • 100 mcm capacity • Drinking water at a price of approximately 2.6 NIS ($0.57 USD) per cubic meter • BOT principle • Eventually desalination will provide approximately 15 percent of Israel’s household water supply.

20. The Benefits of Desalination • Good quality cheap drinking water • A technological option for augmenting water shortages • Can ameliorate water conflicts • Water needs versus water rights

21. International Water Transfers: Israel and the Palestinians

22. Another Example: The Dead Sea is Shrinking

23. Shoreline today Shoreline in 1984

25. Technological optimism: Desalination to the Rescue The Red-Dead Canal or Peace Conduit

26. The Red-Dead Canal or Peace Conduit

27. But…What About the Costs? • Desalination is energy costly • Air emissions • Waste products • Highly saline brine • Plume density • Chemicals • Temperature (MSF) • Site of discharge • Plant location • Large • Coast is crowded and over developed • Interactions • Other users of the coast (tourism, fisheries) • Public Disturbances • Noise

28. An Integrated Approach is Required Critical Nature of Project Source: Hull, R., Belluck, D. Lipchin, C. (2005) A Framework for Multi-Criteria Decision-Making With Special Reference to Critical Infrastructure. In: Ecotoxicology, Ecological Risk Assessment and Multiple Stressors (Arapsis, G., Goncharova, N., Baveye, P. eds.). Springer, Netherlands

29. An Integrated Approach is Required • Desalination is supply oriented • Status quo is maintained i.e.: water for agriculture • No need to confront the public • What about demand management? • Other water reuse options? • Rethink water policy in the region • Agriculture • Industry • Domestic • Nature

30. An Integrated Approach is Required • Desalination’s contribution to ME cooperation must be carefully explored • Needs versus rights • Technological optimism • Affordability • Environmental impact • Alternatives Source: Walk Against Warming, Sydney Australia, Dec. 3rd 2005 http://www.walkagainstwarming.org/