The water crisis doesn't stop at the border: The regional threat Israel is not prepared for | Dr. Anat Hochberg-Marom
Dr. Anat Hochberg-Marom warns that Israel's water crisis is a severe regional threat, and that reliance on centralized desalination plants along the coast exposes the country to security, climate, and technical vulnerabilities. The article calls for a shift to a decentralized system, rehabilitation of the coastal aquifer, and promotion of regional dialogue to secure water infrastructure, presenting water as a core component of national sovereignty.
Dr. Anat Hochberg-Marom warns in an opinion piece that Israel's water crisis is not a local environmental issue but a severe regional security threat. She argues that the near-total dependence on six large desalination plants along the coastline, along with the neglect of rehabilitating the coastal aquifer and the erosion of natural emergency reserves, leaves Israel without a 'safety net' in an emergency. The article notes that extreme climate events, such as an algal bloom that recently damaged a facility, pose a threat equivalent to ballistic missiles or cyberattacks. It further claims that vulnerabilities in water infrastructure could undermine regional arrangements based on water exports to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, thereby reducing Israel's geopolitical maneuvering space. The author calls for a transition from a centralized to a decentralized system, including small inland desalination plants, aquifer rehabilitation, and the establishment of a national water authority with broad executive powers. The article emphasizes that water is a core component of national sovereignty, and that the lack of a national master plan is a strategic failure.