Making the Desert Bloom

Since the 1937 founding of Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, Technion graduates have helped build and manage water resources, including the pipelines to Jerusalem in 1948 and to the Negev in 1955, as well as the national water carrier.

They improved technologies, components, and facilities for desalination and gray-water recycling. One alumnus perfected drip irrigation which revolutionized global farming. These technologies have turned Israel from a water-deficient country to a water-abundant country.

Today, Israel leads the world in water reclamation, recycling more than 90% of its wastewater to use in the agricultural and industrial sectors. In comparison, the U.S. recycles less than 10%.