Israel prepares for severe drought with expanded desalination

Israel, a country situated in a desert region with limited natural water resources, is bracing for a future marked by potential severe droughts, even as debates over climate change persist.

A report by Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, warns of increasing flood risks in the country’s central region – where the majority of the population lives and the location of critical infrastructure.

The dramatic drop in rainfall has led to a lower water level in the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s largest and most important natural freshwater reservoir. At the same time, the report notes a 2.5% increase in household water consumption and a 9% rise in agricultural use across the country.

The vast majority of the limited rainfall occurs during the brief winter season. However, following an unusually dry winter season, Israeli authorities are developing strategies to deal with the challenges of population growth amid dwindling natural water resources and longer heat waves.

Riki Mor, head of Corporate Responsibility at Mekorot, explained how the company is preparing the Jewish state for future extreme weather conditions. 

“We have built a unique model that examines the implications of climate change decades into the future. Israel is warming, and we are in an era of extreme climate change, where scenarios may include increased heat and longer heatwaves, droughts and drying seasons, wildfires, storms, flooding, and rising sea levels,” Mor explained. “These scenarios have numerous implications for Israel’s water resources, some of which may even impact our ability to supply water, reduce natural water sources, and affect water quality."

The long-term strategy includes additional new water desalination plants and plans to fully integrate Israel’s sparsely populated southern Negev Desert region into the country’s freshwater infrastructure. There are also plans to extend the national pipeline system to the Upper Galilee region, in the northernmost part of the country. 

Gal Stahl, chairman of Entropy, which co-developed the plan with Mor, explained the importance of long-term plans for managing climate change. 

“Global financial institutions and regulatory bodies in Israel and worldwide are strengthening the requirements for climate risk management and environmental reporting,” Stahl explained.

Israel and other Middle Eastern countries are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change due to steadily increasing temperatures. 

In July 2024, the Israeli Meteorological Service (IMS) issued a warning that the country would likely face extreme weather conditions, including excessive heat, by the end of the 21st century. 

"The results indicate a high rate of warming in Israel that could reach up to 5°C by the end of the century, compared to the situation in recent decades,” IMS Service Director Dr. Amir Givati warned. 

“The report also points to a sharp increase in the probability of extreme weather events: the intensity and duration of heat waves, extreme temperatures during the day and night and, on the other hand, an increase in heavy rain events and flooding. These trends require Israel to prepare for the climate changes that are already upon us,” he assessed.

Israel, a global leader in desalination plant technologies, is currently planning to expand its water technology capabilities for the future benefit of both Israeli citizens and its Arab neighbors.

In January 2021, Mekorot announced that it was in an advanced stage of signing a water technology agreement with Bahrain – a small desert Gulf state that normalized relations with Israel in 2020 and faces a severe water shortage.