The strategist’s bookshelf

The strategy of water Kenneth Alan Grossberg

Kenneth Alan Grossberg, a Strategy & Let There Be Water: ’s Solution Unlike much of the world, Israel from Leadership contributing editor, is an For A Water-Starved World early in its history instituted a Advisor, Knowledge Center for national water policy that allowed a Innovation, Technion–Israel Institute of Seth M. Siegel, (St. Martin’s Press central authority to plan and build 2015). Technology in Haifa, (kengross@ infrastructure, to charge for this waseda.jp). Safe, potable water. So essential to precious liquid and to contribute to life and industry. But it’s under conservation and experimentation. threat worldwide. The nightly news Now that drought and overuse is often features a horrific water becoming endemic in poor regions catastrophe: toxic lead pollution in of the world as well as wealthy ones the drinking water of Flint, like California where it never posed Michigan; a dam in Iraq under so serious a problem before, the attack by militants; California crops technologies and methods that destroyed by drought; countries Israel has developed offer help for threatening war over access to urgent crises. Should the reader not river flows. be sufficiently aware of the global scope and scale of the problem Water – an Siegel engages in necessary existential resource consciousness-raising: at risk The energy needed for operating Once a commodity that cars, air conditioners, computers, was often taken for and other appliances . . . utilizes granted, water now almost unimaginable amounts of requires a strategy to water. Several gallons of ensure stable and freshwater are needed to produce secure supply for a each gallon of oil . . .[1] world reeling from Natural gas and fracking require climate change, millions of gallons per site. Since pollution and overuse. the end of World War II, the As if on cue, Seth M. massive natural underground Siegel offers his reservoir called the High Plains magisterial study Let Aquifer has been a key driver of There Be Water: agriculture in eight Great Plains Israel’s Solution For A states . . . wheat, corn, soy, and barley (grown there) provide Water-Starved World.A fodder for America’s cows and key lesson: strategy, chickens, and grains for food and visionary production. These crops are also leadership to a major US export industry . . .. implement strategy, is Although the water in the High the main reason for the Plains Aquifer is a renewable success story it relates. resource, it took thousands of

DOI 10.1108/SL-07-2016-0058 VOL. 44 NO. 5 2016, pp. 51-54, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1087-8572 STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP PAGE 51 ‘‘Once a commodity that was often taken for granted, water gargantuan scope and expense of now requires a strategy to ensure stable and secure supply this project for a young, small for a world reeling from climate change, pollution and country like Israel by comparing it to building the Panama Canal, which overuse.’’ had been “the most expensive public works project in American history” up to the time of its construction: “. . . on a per capita years of rain and snow to fill a idea of a national water carrier that basis, adjusted for inflation, Israel large part of what has been would bring the precious resource spent six times more building the depleted just since the 1950s from the north where it was National Water Carrier than the US when the over pumping began abundant to the rest of the land did building the Panama Canal.”[7] . . .. The water level in Lake Mead where it was scarce. The plan may soon be too low to permit required deep drilling in places like The fruits of an ambitious water further pumping, affecting the the desert, pumping and strategy production of clean hydroelectric power for states in the transporting water from the Yarkon One result of the National Water Southwest.[2] River in the Tel Aviv region to the Carrier system is that Israel has parched south of the country, and been able to push the edge of the But for Siegel the key take-away is over decades would ultimately build the fact that “water and southern desert farther and farther a vast underground infrastructure south, opening up new lands for infrastructure crises are almost that became the National Water always avoidable . . . with focused settlement and agricultural Carrier for the modern nation of development. action by government, business and Israel.[4] civic leaders.”[3] And he proceeds Not only were the pessimistic to explain how Israel has been able The father of the initial plan was forecasts of the British economists to quench the thirst of its businesses Simcha Blass, a Polish immigrant to of the 1940s proved wrong, but and citizens and to generate the land who was a water engineer Israel’s water strategy demonstrated enough surplus to help relieve the of uncommon insight and drive. In conclusively that “planning, respect water shortages of its Arab the 1940s he added other elements for technology, determination, and neighbors to boot. A brief summary to his master strategy, including risk taking” can achieve mastery of the surprising history of this trapping and collecting storm water over nature: “From a country that project is instructive. and treating and reusing sewage. could barely feed itself when it had This strategy evolved to become in a much smaller population, today it In the beginning the 1960s “an integrated, national is not only self-sufficient in fruits, system of water-resource vegetables, dairy and poultry, it also As early as the 1920s the Zionist management unlike anything seen exports billions of dollars of leaders living under British control in before in the Middle East or in much high-quality, water-intensive produce what was then the of the world until that time.”[5] each year.”[8] mandate territory, were exploring ways to increase the supply of water Like all good strategies, the impact to the Jewish communities springing Implementing the strategy in a of this one was multifaceted. up to house immigrants. The young, developing country For example, as Siegel notes, the situation became more urgent after The National Water Carrier new ability to access northern water the publication of the British White construction during the early 1960s reduced the need to rely on wells Paper of 1939, a document that was actually the third phase of drilled along the coast that were at declared the land could not support Israel’s water strategy. The new risk of salt water seepage. an increase in population. The infrastructure had to function equally Ultimately, the presence of an forecast made by the White Paper well at sea level, and at 700 feet integrated national water system was used as the pretext for below sea level in the north by the also allowed rivers that had become preventing Jews trying to escape Sea of Galilee and at almost 3,000 open dump sites to be rehabilitated from Nazi persecution in Europe to feet above sea level in Jerusalem. It and sewage canals were cleaned enter Palestine. also had to be able to withstand up and remade into places for Out of a mission to supply sufficient wet, cold winters and dry, hot recreation and nature. According to water to allow for population growth summer conditions.[6] Siegel helps Siegel, starting in 1939, thinking by desperate refugees came the his readers appreciate the about water was transformed from

PAGE 52 STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP VOL. 44 NO. 5 2016 being a local or regional concern to A California connection 2. Wastewater reclamation and a national mission.[9] reuse: Israel currently reuses 86 In June 2016, Israel’s Ministry of percent of its wastewater, with the As a former head of the Israel Water Economy and Industry hosted the goal of reaching 95 percent by Commission put it, “You can tell a Israel-California Water Conference in 2025. Sixty percent of Israel’s fruit lot about a country by the way it Marina Del Ray to promote a and vegetables are grown using manages its water.”[10] That can be comprehensive and practical recycled, purified water. applied to the way any organization approach toward a sustainable manages any of its major resources, water future for California. By 3. Government policy: By law, every and the implications for strategy are bringing together leaders from the drop of water that falls from the sky important. There are, for example, California and Israeli business or is found in Israel’s lakes, seas or times when command and control communities, government underground aquifers belongs to the are indispensable tools for authorities, academia and a wide state. Individuals, farmers and implementing a strategy and other spectrum of water technology businesses in Israel do not have times when entrepreneurship and a experts, the ICWater Conference rights to water from rivers or lakes looser rein on implementation are hoped to accelerate technology on or next to their property, nor any appropriate. In the case of water, partnerships, explore project finance other natural water rights. This because Israel centralized the and business models and promote legislation innately led to centralized control and pricing of this scarce policy initiatives that will position control of the country’s water resource it was able to flexibly California as a leader in water resources and greatly reduced allocate it by subsidizing the price stewardship. endless inefficiencies created by of water to farms and industries competing water districts. Other In his blog, Distel specified five while raising it to discourage actions that the government has cornerstones of Israel’s water citizens from wasteful overuse. taken to provide for a secure water revolution, learning he suggested Oded Distel is the Founder and supply include the development of a that can be applied to California’s Director of Israel NewTech, Israel’s nation-wide water collection/ own water challenges. If successful, National Energy & Water Program at reservoir system. the Golden State and other the Ministry of Economy & Industry. jurisdictions will begin their own 4. Water and agricultural technology: This program has spearheaded water revolutions as well, ushering in Israel’s reputation as the “Start-Up Israel’s water and energy ecosystem a new age of water management Nation” extends to innovations in since its founding in 2007 by and conservation across the planet. water and agriculture technology. bringing all the stakeholders – Those five cornerstones are: Drip irrigation was invented in Israel start-ups, entrepreneurs, companies, and has become the local standard multinationals, academia, regulators, 1. Education and conservation: for watering crops, with upwards of policy makers and investors - Israeli children are taught in 75 percent of Israeli farms using the together to cooperate in order to preschool the importance of technology. At present, Israeli drip deliver smart solutions for global conserving water. Only use as much systems account for 50 percent of challenges in the Cleantech arena. water as you need, they are told, the world’s low-pressure irrigation In a recent online column, Distel because every drop is precious. systems. Nevertheless, despite its asserted that Israel now produces This not only encourages them to proven benefits for water 20 percent more water than it carry these values throughout their conservation and increased crop consumes, allowing exports to its lives, but they also influence their yield, only 5 percent of farms neighbors.[11] Additionally, Israel friends, parents and grandparents to worldwide use drip irrigation – many has a trove of water knowledge to conserve as well. During Israel’s use outdated flooding techniques export throughout the world. latest drought, which peaked in instead. Remarkably, the water sector in 2009-2010, the Israel Water Israel is almost economically Authority ran a TV ad campaign 5. Desalination: Israeli companies self-sufficient. encouraging conservation. built and operate five desalination plants providing over 25 percent of ‘‘Now that drought and overuse is becoming endemic in poor the nation’s water supply and 80 regions of the world as well as wealthy ones like California percent of household water. Israeli companies have installed more than where it never posed so serious a problem before, the 350 desalination plants in close to technologies and methods that Israel has developed offer 40 countries, including the new help for urgent crises.’’ Carlsbad plant in San Diego, the

VOL. 44 NO. 5 2016 STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP PAGE 53 ‘‘The ways Israel has dealt with its water problem gives us a 6. Siegel, ibid,p.37. case to learn from when tackling other types of decisions 7. Siegel, ibid, p. 39. where politics, geography and nationalism are intertwined 8. Siegel, ibid,p.40. and there is an urgent need for innovation.’’ 9. Siegel, ibid,p.40.

10. Siegel, ibid,p.42.

11. Distel, O. “Israel’s water revolution largest in the Western Hemisphere, implemented by giving us a detailed and its overflow for the world”, June producing enough water to meet the and nuanced description in Let 27, 2016, The Times of Israel. Blog needs of approximately 400,000 There Be Water. address is http://blogs.timesofisrael. people.[12] com/israels-water-revolution-and-its- overflow-for-the-world/#utm_sourceϭ All in all, the ways Israel has dealt Notes Start-UpϩDaily&utm_campaignϭ90e with its water problem gives us a 1. Siegel, S.M., Let There Be Water: 9543dc2-2016_06_28_SUI6_28_2016 case to learn from when tackling Israel’s Solution For A Water-Starved &utm_mediumϭemail&utm_termϭ0_ other types of decisions where World, (St. Martin’s Press, 2015), p. 5. fb879fad58-90e9543dc2-54595401 politics, geography and nationalism 2. Siegel, ibid, p. 3. are intertwined and there is an 12. Distel, ibid. urgent need for innovation. Siegel 3. Siegel, ibid. has done an excellent job of Corresponding author 4. Siegel, ibid,p.25. spelling out how an existential Kenneth Alan Grossberg can be resource strategy can be 5. Siegel, ibid,p.26. contacted at: [email protected]

PAGE 54 STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP VOL. 44 NO. 5 2016