Between 1950 and 1965, open irrigation canals were constructed in Turkey. Irrigation systems with canalettes have been introduced since 1965. Irrigation systems with canallettes were constructed between 1970 and 1980. By 1990, low and medium pipe network with advanced pipe technologies have been used.

Around 92% of Lebanon’s sewage flows into rivers and the sea untreated. Wastewater management is fragmented, with responsibility for project planning and implementation (treatment facilities and connections to networks) split between the CDR, water establishments and municipalities.

Incomplete network coverage, water rationing and other shortfalls in the public water supply system have led many Lebanese to take matters into their own hands and seek their own solutions to water supply.

Groundwater and surface water account for respectively 51% and 49% of total water supply in Lebanon. Most of the surface water supply originates from spring sources, with 637 MCM/yr currently exploited.

Policy, innovation and management have helped the country address and in some cases overcome some of these challenges.

Water is considered a public good in Israel. The basis for policies and water administration in Israel is the 1959 Water Law.

In 2012, the Water Authority published a master plan outlining a strategy to ensure water availability until 2050. While total water use is expected to rise from 2,131 MCM in 2010 to 3,571 MCM in 2050

Lebanon is naturally water rich compared to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. However, much of this water flows to the sea unused due to inefficient use and poorly maintained or absent infrastructure.

In 1997, the World Bank described the water situation in Gaza as an “emergency state of affairs”. Yet nearly 20 years on, the levels of pumping have only increased, pollution has worsened and large parts of the water infrastructure in the area have been damaged or destroyed. Why was Gaza’s “emergency state of affairs” left to deteriorate beyond the point of repair?