Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World by Seth M. Siegel

An essential look at the unknown story of how Israel has avoided the coming water crisis despite being mostly desert. With hardly a day without a water-crisis story somewhere, let there be water offers prescriptions on how countries, cities and businesses can avoid the worst of it. With sixty percent of the country in a desert and despite a rapidly growing population, Israel has been jumping ahead of the water-innovation curve for decades. Israel’s national unity and economic vitality are, in part, the result of a culture and consciousness that understands the central role of water in building a dynamic, thriving society. By boldly thinking about water, Israel has transformed the normally change-averse, water-greedy world of agriculture with innovations like drip irrigation, creation of smart seeds for drought-friendly plants and careful reuse of highly treated waste-water. Israel has also played a leading role in the emerging desalination revolution. Beyond securing its own water supply, Israel has also created a high-export industry in water technology, a timely example of how countries can build their economies while making the world better. Built on meticulous research and hundreds of interviews with both world leaders and experts in the field, ‘Let there Be Water’ tells the inspiring story of how this all came to be.