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

Water Stress Worldwide: Source: UNEP, GRID, Arendal, Oswald

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

Chronic Water Scarcity For Reference: <1000 m 3 /cap/yr - Water Poor <500 m 3 /cap/yr - Chronic Water Scarcity U.S. => 9,710 m 3 /cap/yr World average 7,000 m 3 /cap/yr Israel => m3/cap/yr (340 w/sewage) Jordan => 230 m 3 /cap/yr (245 w/sewage) Palestinians => 95 m 3 /cap/yr Lebanon => 1,300 m 3 /cap/yr

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

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

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”

Potable water consumption by purpose in percentages (Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2004) Agriculture Domestic Industry676 Total100

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

The Promise of Desalination Seawater/brackish water Drinking water

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

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

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

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

Seawater desalination capacity in cbm/day in the Mediterranean basin

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 e%20Desalination.html

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.

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

International Water Transfers: Israel and the Palestinians

Another Example: The Dead Sea is Shrinking

Shoreline in 1984 Shoreline today

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

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

Critical Nature of Project An Integrated Approach is Required 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

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

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