Across the world today, the climate crisis and the water crisis are increasingly inseparable. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, shrinking rivers and erratic rainfall patterns are straining water systems everywhere, from the Middle East to East Africa. Yet the way we manage water can either worsen these pressures or help break the cycle.
Israel learned this lesson early, and often painfully. Our country is small, mostly arid and naturally short of fresh water. Sixty per cent of our land is desert; the rest is semi-arid. For decades, we faced the same questions many African nations grapple with today: how do you feed a growing population when lakes, rivers and aquifers run dry? How do you guarantee access to clean water for every citizen, regardless of whether they live near the source? How do you maintain economic growth when nature puts you on rations?
The answer, for us, came through necessity, by reimagining water not as a once-off commodity, but as a resource that can be used, reused and regenerated. This is how Israel built what is now considered one of the world’s most advanced circular water economies, a system designed to stretch every drop while reducing emissions, costs and waste. I believe parts of Israel’s experience can offer practical lessons—adaptable, scalable and relevant to local realities in Kenya and Africa in general.
Today, Israel reuses nearly 95 per cent of its wastewater, leads the world in water-loss prevention and operates desalination facilities capable of meeting the majority of our domestic needs. But beyond the technologies and infrastructure lies a deeper story: effective water management depends on strong reinforcement policies that ensure long-term sustainability.
Israel’s model rests on four major pillars: desalination, efficient urban distribution, wastewater treatment and the re-use of this treated water in water-smart agriculture. Desalination provides the strategic backbone of our supply, producing more than 600 million cubic metres of fresh water annually from the Mediterranean Sea, which will grow to 900 million by 2030.
As natural rainfall becomes less predictable, desalination offers stability and independence. Yet we remain mindful of the environmental implications of brine discharge and energy use, which is why Israel continues to invest in renewable energy solutions and mineral recovery technologies.
Urban supply and distribution form the second pillar. Through a unified national water network, desalinated and natural water sources are blended, monitored and delivered to households throughout the country at a uniform price. Smart meters installed in homes, factories and farms transmit real-time data to water corporations, enabling accurate billing and immediate detection of anomalies.
The third pillar is wastewater treatment, which illustrates Israel’s long-standing belief that wastewater is not a burden but an asset. Nearly all wastewater is purified and reused for agriculture, aquifer replenishment or natural restoration. Regional treatment plants operated jointly by several municipalities keep costs down and prevent the environmental damage that untreated sewage can inflict on rivers, streams and groundwater. Sludge from these facilities is converted into fertiliser or biogas, closing the loop even further.
The fourth pillar is the use of the treated and purified wastewater in water-efficient agriculture, which is rooted in Israel’s development of drip irrigation. This technique uses roughly half the water consumed by traditional flood irrigation while significantly increasing yields. Israeli researchers continue to advance drought-resistant crop varieties and saline farming techniques, allowing farmers to thrive even with limited freshwater resources.
While these four pillars form the physical structure of Israel’s water economy, our success is equally anchored in reinforcement policies that ensure the system remains robust, fair and sustainable.
One of the most important is our aggressive prevention of water loss. Water systems around the world often lose as much as 30 to 50 per cent of their supply through leaks, malfunctions or theft. Israel has brought these losses down to just a few per cent, a remarkable achievement considering the distances water travels across our country. Every cubic metre of water saved is energy saved, emissions avoided and costs reduced. Preventing leakage is one of the simplest yet most powerful tools for climate mitigation in the water sector.
A second critical policy is water conservation through public awareness. For decades, national campaigns have encouraged Israeli households to value water, avoid waste and embrace water-saving devices. These efforts – combined with technologies like dual-flush toilets and faucet aerators – have significantly reduced per capita consumption without compromising quality of life. Conservation is not a one-off campaign; it is a cultural commitment.
Third, Israel’s water pricing is transparent and uniform. Water is sold at its real cost, with no hidden subsidies, and the revenues generated remain solely within the water sector. Every shekel paid by consumers goes back into improving infrastructure, advancing technology and ensuring long-term availability. This reinvestment principle guarantees financial sustainability and insulation from political pressure.
Finally, long-term planning guides Israel’s water future. Our national water strategy looks decades ahead, taking into account population growth, climate projections, technological trends and agricultural demands. Infrastructure investments are made early, not when shortages appear. This forward-thinking approach has allowed Israel to stay ahead of crises rather than chase them.
The result of these combined efforts is a resilient water system that can withstand drought, climate shocks, population growth and environmental pressures. Israel’s model is not flawless and continues to evolve, but it demonstrates that even in the world’s driest regions, a secure and sustainable water future is possible with vision, innovation and disciplined policy.
As global climate pressures intensify, the world will need not just
new technologies but new ways of thinking about water, where every drop counts,
every drop is valued and every drop can be part of a continuous cycle. Israel’s
journey shows that when water is managed wisely, scarcity can be transformed
into resilience and crisis into innovation.
The stakes for Africa could not be clearer. The region is already feeling the strain of climate stress—longer droughts, unpredictable rains and growing pressure on rivers, dams and groundwater. Kenya, like many African nations, sits at the frontline of this new reality, where water security directly shapes food security, economic growth and social stability.
Africa is rich in talent, innovation and determination. With the right investments in leak prevention, water reuse, aquifer enrichment, efficient irrigation and long-term planning, the continent can leapfrog outdated water systems and build a future that is more secure than its past. Kenya is already moving in this direction through bold reforms, technological adoption and growing public awareness.
Israel stands ready to deepen this partnership, sharing knowledge, technologies and lessons learned from our own difficult path toward water security. Because in a warming world, resilience is not built in isolation. It is built through cooperation, shared solutions and a belief that every drop has value.
If the climate crisis is global, then the answers must be global too. Israel’s experience offers one model, but Africa’s leadership and creativity will shape the solutions that work here at home. Together, we can turn water from a source of vulnerability into a source of strength, for Israel, for Kenya and for a climate-stressed Africa that refuses to be defined by scarcity.
Kwa pamoja, tunaweza kugeuza changamoto ya maji kuwa nguvu ya maendeleo!
Ambassador of Israel to Kenya and Ambassador Designate to Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and the Seychelles and the former Israeli Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
