Azerbaijan can use experience of Israel for efficient use of water resources

The problem of water scarcity in Azerbaijan has not been solved for a long time. On March 13 of this year, residents of the villages of Nabatkin and Orta Mugan of the Saatli region tried to block the main highway in protest against unresolved water problems. The participants of the action told the “Voice of America” radio station that water for irrigation has not been supplied for several months, crops have died. The protesters also stated that there was no drinking water either, and that they had repeatedly filed complaints and requests with the relevant authorities, but the water problems had not been resolved.[1]

It should be noted that on the same day, March 13, at a meeting with the heads of leading German companies in Berlin, Head of State Ilham Aliyev said: "Our goal is to completely cover the territory of the country with a water supply system." It should also be noted that back in 2020, at a meeting on the state of water management, Ilham Aliyev said that the provision of drinking water and irrigation water in Azerbaijan should become 100%.

Three years ago, in April 2020, in order to ensure the effective use of water resources in the country, improve water management and coordinate activities in this area, a commission was established under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev. In the same year, on July 27, the "Action Plan for ensuring the rational use of water resources for 2020-2022" was approved. In the developed action plan "To ensure the rational use of water resources for 2020-2022", the implementation of the main measures was to be completed in 2020-2021. However, the measures envisaged by this plan remain on paper. Moreover, the measures whose implementation period expired in 2020-2021 were again included in the action plan "Strategy of socio-economic development of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026", and the deadline was extended for a longer time.

According to official data, the volume of water resources in Azerbaijan is 25 billion m3. Open Joint Stock Company (JSC) "Reclamation and Water Management of Azerbaijan" Joint Stock Company of Reclamation and Water Management reports that the water supply in the country has decreased by almost 20% over the past 30 years and is likely to decrease by the same amount by 2050.

According to forecasts of the Institute of World Natural Resources (IMPR - World Resources Institute (WRI)), a fifth of the world's countries will face the problem of low water availability by 2040. Thus, climate change disrupts the precipitation cycle, and population growth increases the need for water. In the report submitted by the IMPR, Azerbaijan is also mentioned among the countries that will face the threat of drought. Azerbaijan ranks 18th in the list of 33 countries. The fact that our country is approximately in the middle of the list does not mean that during periods of low humidity we will face the same problems as neighboring countries. The problem is that if there are water resources in the country that exceed the needs by at least 4-5 times, the need for irrigation water is not met, and Azerbaijan's position on the 18th place in the compiled list is fraught with the fact that water losses in the country are extremely high.

The increase in the area of irrigated land in Azerbaijan is due to the growth of the population and the demand for food. The available water resources make it possible to increase the area of irrigated land to 4 million hectares. However, the problems existing in this area and not having their own solution prevent the realization of this potential. Water resources in the country are used inefficiently, and as a result, an increase in the area of irrigated land will lead to even greater water losses. According to the State Statistics Committee (SSC), Azerbaijan ranks first among the CIS countries in terms of consumption and losses of water from natural sources with 23.4% of water losses.

From the Table 1 prepared by the SSC on the basis of data from JSC "Reclamation and Water Management of Azerbaijan", it is also clear that serious water losses are still allowed in the country. In the whole country, water losses from natural sources in 2021 amounted to 23.4%. In 2021, 26% of water (3.1 billion m ³) sent from natural sources to agriculture, hunting and forestry (11.9 billion m³) was lost. And this is without taking into account the loss of irrigation water used directly in agriculture. It is safe to say that almost half, that is, 50% of the water sent to agriculture, goes to losses.

The shortage of fresh water has already become a serious problem not only in Azerbaijan, but all over the world. International experience shows that some countries have managed to solve the problem of water scarcity by preventing waste in the use of water for irrigation.

The example of Israel

As an example, Israel, which used 1.24 billion m³ of water for irrigation at the end of the last century, thanks to the efforts of its government, reduced the volume of water used for irrigation to 1.12 billion m³ in subsequent years through the introduction of new, modern technologies. Israel, using only this amount of water for irrigation, not only satisfies the population's demand for food to domestic production, but also exports food and agricultural products. Imagine, whereas in Azerbaijan the volume of water from natural sources used for agriculture is 11.9 billion m³, in Israel it is 1.12 billion m³. Israel, whose acreage is by 3.4 times less than in Azerbaijan, and irrigation water is used 10.6 times less than in Azerbaijan, not only provides its population with 95% food, but also exports agricultural products worth $1.5 billion annually. Azerbaijan, which has huge resource opportunities, produces less food than Israel, and exports two times less food. In the ranking of countries in the world in terms of food security, Israel ranks 8th with 78 points, and Azerbaijan ranks 56th with 62.3 points [2].

The territory of Azerbaijan is by 3.9 times larger than the territory of Israel, the population of Israel is only by 4.9% smaller than the population of Azerbaijan  (500 thousand people). The acreage of Azerbaijan exceeds the acreage of Israel by 4.4 times, and fresh water reserves by 12.5 times.

Table 2. Population, territorial, soil and climatic indicators of Azerbaijan and Israel

The experience of Israel

Back in 1935-1938, the State Water Supply Company drilled three wells in the Jezreel Valley, and the water from these wells was connected to the general network. The main characteristics of this project:

• 1. To ensure uninterrupted water supply over long distances, water supply was organized through metal pipes.
• 2. In turn, the supply of water through pipes under pressure made it possible to abandon the traditional method of irrigation by flooding and switch to a drip irrigation method.
• 3. Supply of the system with two concrete storages and two open tanks, allowing to accumulate water and ensure the continuity of its flow to the fields.
• 4. Water was pumped into reservoirs at night when electricity consumption is relatively low, after which it was sent to irrigation systems. All this made it possible to avoid even short-term breaks in the feed.

The main water supply system in Israel is the All-Israeli Water Supply or Trans-Israeli Water Supply, the construction of which was completed in 1964. The all-Israeli Water Supply system unites most of the regional water supply systems into a single whole, which allows maintaining a stable balance of water supply throughout the country, since water can be easily pumped from one pipeline to another in accordance with needs. The main function of the Water Pipeline is to transport water from the north of the country, mainly from Lake Kinneret, to the densely populated center and to the arid South, including the northern part of the Negev Desert. The All-Israel Water Supply System is the largest water supply system in Israel. The total length of the main water pipelines is 130 km, the capacity is 450 million m³ per year.

By creating a water supply system, Israel first of all achieved the elimination of differences between areas with sufficient water supplies and arid areas suffering from water scarcity.

Rainwater in winter, spring, excess water from rivers, springs, pumped into the created water supply system and accumulate in underground and artificial reservoirs. Also, in dry years, water collected as an additional reserve in rainy years is used through the system.

Israeli experts came to the conclusion that the transportation of water through pipes should be carried out under pressure. And although this method requires significant financial costs, it allows you to eliminate the influence of terrain complexity and minimize water losses. It also guarantees a balanced and fair distribution of water among consumers.

In Israel, measures are being taken to desalinate water, clean and reuse domestic wastewater, which helps producers reduce costs.

According to the Israeli "Water Law", all water resources are considered public property (neither public nor private). Water resources are managed by the State, and water resources include all types of water. Rain collected in a certain place falls under the jurisdiction of the "Water Law".

In Israel, advanced technologies are used to save water:

• drip irrigation;
• using advanced filtering techniques;
• application of advanced technologies to detect network leaks;
• rainwater collection and treatment systems;
• measurement of water flow i;
• water pricing policy
• transition to high-value crops;
• reuse of thermal waters;
• organization of computerization and remote irrigation management

Israel is constantly searching for new ways to obtain fresh water. For the last 70 years, the country has attached serious importance to forest plantations. So, if 70 years ago there were no forests in Israel at all, now 8% of the country's territory has forest cover.

Thus, under unfavorable climatic conditions and limited water supplies, Israel managed to maintain a stable balance of the country's water supply. Azerbaijan, having more water resources than Israel, cannot meet its needs for drinking water and water for irrigation.

Offers

Water is the source of life and therefore it is difficult to overestimate the importance of a stable water supply of the country, the reliability of water security. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani authorities have been unable to organize the effective use of their resources for many years. Our research has shown that Israel, despite unfavorable climatic conditions and limited water resources, has managed to ensure a stable balance of the country's water supply.

The Government of Azerbaijan can use best practices to organize the efficient use of water resources. The Israeli experience suits Azerbaijan the most.

The lack of coordination of water management in Azerbaijan from one center is a very serious problem. In this area, certain functions are performed by 4 state bodies (the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, JSC “Azerenergo”, JSC Melioration and Water Management). I believe that the country's water sector should be managed from only one center. For example, in Israel, the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Supply of Israel is responsible for the management and regulation of the fuel and energy complex and water supply of the country. And Azerbaijan should have an authority implementing state policy in the field of management and regulation of all water resources and supplies. This body should develop and implement a state program for improving the water management system for the future.

In the mountainous and foothill regions of Azerbaijan, there are opportunities for the creation of reservoirs, artificial lakes for the accumulation of rain, river and groundwater. The relief of Azerbaijan allows it. It is possible to use water resources more efficiently by combining the water of created reservoirs and lakes into a network by region. Due to rain, river and ground waters that accumulate in mountainous and foothill areas, first of all, the needs for drinking water and water for irrigation of the population living in these areas should be met. Excess water that will accumulate in reservoirs, lakes, can be transported to areas that need it.

In order to effectively use the available water resources of the country, to prevent losses during water transportation and water use, it is necessary to organize the transportation of water from sources through metal pipes. In order to ensure the efficiency of water use for irrigation, a large-scale drip irrigation system should be implemented in the country.

Such measures as the expansion of forests, the increase of shrubs, trees in the mountains, and the improvement of grass cover, in turn, will lead to an increase in fresh water reserves in the country.

Supplement 1

Table 1. Water taken from natural sources, its consumption, and losses (million m³)

[1] https://www.amerikaninsesi.org/a/7002217.html

[2] https://www.tsenovik.ru/news/Novosti-APK/Reyting-stran-po-urovnyu-prodovolstvennoy-bezopasnosti/?sphrase_id=10564601