ISRAEL - AI Combats Water Scarcity

[June 17] marked World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, a UN holiday promoting public awareness of efforts to stop land degradation. As desertification and water scarcity are intensifying as global concerns, especially in the Middle East, experts say new technologies including artificial intelligence have become increasingly viable tools to combat these crises.

“Water is not created nor destroyed,” said Scott Hansen, a senior lecturer at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University.

In the Middle East, the most water-stressed region in the world, Israel is a leader in the field, with more than 80% of Israel’s potable water produced through desalination.

“Israel was always at the forefront of these things. And we’re just continuing that thread with water efficiency and helping the world solve water scarcity, especially in this region,” Yaron Dycian, chief product and strategy officer at WINT, said.

WINT installs water flow meters and valves throughout a building’s plumbing and connects them to a control unit that monitors the water flow. This AI-integrated system identifies leakage patterns, sends alerts, and, when necessary, shuts off the water to prevent damage.

“Installing a solution like ours into a building is not complicated. It’s a few valves and meters,” Dycian said. “And with that, you have a waterproof, water-safe, water-efficient building.”

Under the umbrella of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the IDRA unveiled the prototype of the first global AI-driven platform for proactive drought management in Riyadh last December.

“With IDRO, authorities and land and water managers will be able to analyze and visualize key drought resilience indicators as the basis for better decisions,” said Edgar Gutiérrez-Espeleta, UNCCD senior adviser.

-themedialine.org, 23 June 2025

Commentary: The statement, “Water is not created nor destroyed,” represents a half-truth, for we read in John 1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Ecclesiastes 1:7 declares: “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.” Job 36:27-29 adds: “For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly. Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?”

The fact that Israel is leading the world when it comes to water efficiency is not a surprise. Satellite pictures are very revealing, showing the lush green vegetation in Israel up to its borders, with its distinctly arid Arab neighbors.

As believers, what we don’t know is how planet earth will function when Revelation 21:1b is fulfilled: “and there was no more sea.” While most leading scientists on earth may consider this to be fiction, Bible believers know the future: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2).