MODERN IRRIGATIONS, PREMISE FOR AN EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT OF THE WATER RESOURCES IN ISRAEL

Nathan Cohen, “Ben Gurion” University, Israel
Adrian Cioacă, “Spiru Haret” University, Bucharest, Romania

Abstract

In Israel, water is a very precious environmental factor. Although it is a small country, due to its position at the contact of three distinct geographic regions whose precipitation regimes differ, Israel is divided as follows: the North (Kinnert and Har Hermon), the coastal region of the Mediterranean Sea and the South (Judea and the Negev Desert). So, to compensate the water deficit in the south, the water resources were reunited in a national network coordinated by Mekorot's National Water Carrier, a system of pumping stations, reservoirs, canals and pipes. Due to its use, the irrigated area meant for agriculture grew from 30,000 ha in 1948 to over 200,000 ha at present. Beside the aspersion method, advanced water use techniques have been introduced, including the irrigation drop by drop, which leads the water just at the position of roots, in quantities guided by electronic sensors. They establish the moment when the water reserve has decreased to values close to the critical thresholds of the different cultures, directing the period and the area in which supplementary watering is needed.
Our research works have approached a few areas by means of case studies in which the management of the underground, residual, desalted water is differentiated. So, the results obtained will contribute to a more efficient water management of the water resources in this area, assuring the efficiency of the sustainable development programs in Israel.

Keyword: dropwise irrigation, computerised distribution, Negev Desert, Israel