site.btaUpgrade Infrastructure to Address Water Scarcity and Improve Water Management, Israeli Expert Greenwald Advises

The main issue causing water scarcity in Bulgaria is outdated infrastructure, with old pipes and significant leaks leading to substantial water loss for both the population and the economy, so the first step is to upgrade the infrastructure, Senior Deputy Director General of the Israeli Water Authority Danny Greenwald said in an interview with BTA's Borislava Bibinovska.

According to Greenwald, once the outdated infrastructure is replaced, Bulgaria could adopt modern systems for effective water management. “We developed innovative technologies following several severe drought periods over the years,” he said.

On January 8, a conference on water management was held in Sofia, organized by the Embassy of Israel in Bulgaria. The event brought together representatives of Bulgarian institutions and businesses. During the forum, the Israeli approach to tackling water scarcity and developing advanced technologies was presented.

“We have faced many drought periods in Israel; even the Bible recounts how Israelites moved to Egypt due to a lack of water,” Greenwald said. “In recent history, two major droughts in 2000 and 2008 made us realise that we couldn’t continue as before and had to reform the system,” he added.

Greenwald explained that Israel had long postponed addressing issues with old water pipelines, which had worsened over decades. Eventually, the government initiated a comprehensive replacement of water mains, primarily in municipalities. “This reduced leaks and losses of what we call non-revenue water,” he said. To finance the system overhaul, water prices for the population were increased. Although unpopular, this decision proved effective, Greenwald noted. “When the leaks stopped, we managed to lower the price again,” he said.

The expert also highlighted the importance of water management in the context of climate change. He noted that climate change impacts are less pronounced in Israel due to its desert climate and a developed ability to manage water resources effectively. However, he pointed out that sudden and heavy rainfall leads to more issues with flooding in municipalities and agriculture.

In December, the National Assembly established a temporary commission to investigate water scarcity problems in the country. The initiative followed reports that, as of November, over 250,000 citizens in 72 municipalities were under water rationing. Last month, several ministers were questioned in Parliament regarding this issue.

“While there is still a sufficient natural resource to meet drinking water and irrigation needs, the efficiency of water usage remains extremely low,” said caretaker Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov during the parliamentary hearing. He stressed the need to build new facilities and noted that the past summer was both dry and hot.