site.btaExperts from Bulgaria, Israel Discuss Better Water Management at Conference in Sofia

Experts from Bulgaria and Israel discussed better water management at a conference in Sofia on Wednesday. Titled Beyond H2O – Israel’s Innovative Model for Water Management, the forum was organized by the Israeli Embassy in Bulgaria.

The event put an emphasis on the need of using modern technologies in water management. The experts discussed the two countries' problems in the field and measures for solving them. Also covered was the topic of climate change and its impact on water management.

At the start of the event, Ambassador of Israel Yosef Levi Sfari said that Bulgaria is one of the friendly countries not only in Europe, but also in the whole world, therefore Israel is ready to assist in the problem of water management. "If there is a way to contribute to solving this issue, we are at your disposal," the Ambassador noted.

He explained how the lack of water in Israel forced the country to seek water imports from Turkiye years ago. In his words, Israel thought that this was the way to deal with the problem; the country had no possibility to supply water for its population. He added that Israel has since been able to develop many methods to solve the problem of water shortages and can meet the needs of its population.

At the end of 2024, more than 350 settlements had restricted or no access to water, said Silviya Georgieva, Executive Director of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria. Water is not a commodity but a public good, everyone has the right to equal access to quality water at a socially affordable price, Georgieva underscored. "Unfortunately, we are failing to provide this to citizens in small settlements," she said.

Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding's Supervisory Board Chairman, Prof. Gancho Dimitrov, said that there is interest in using the Black Sea waters through desalination. Israeli companies can be of great assistance to Bulgaria in that regard.

Dimitrov said it is important to detect leaks quickly. He pointed out that there are companies in Israel that offer satellite-based leak detection systems.

Danny Greenwald of the Israel Water Authority spoke about Israel's successes related to water resource management. He explained that water problems in Bulgaria and Israel are very different, but the solutions can be applicable and useful for the Bulgarian State. The sources of water in the two countries are different, the expert said. He added that Israel relies on "produced water", and one of the activities to obtain water is through desalination. In 13 years, water loss has decreased from 14% to 7%, Greenwald said.

Specific technologies to improve water management were presented at the conference.