India, particularly Karnataka, can take a leaf out of Israel’s book when it comes to utilising waste water for irrigation, said irrigation experts at a workshop.

Israeli irrigation specialist Yoav Tabenken, who was in Bengaluru to attend a workshop on futuristic farmer-led irrigation, told The Hindu that nearly 90% of used water in Israel was being recycled so that it could be reused for irrigation.

“We have one water recycling plant for every 20,000 houses,” Mr. Tabenken said, while emphasising the need to ensure that used water is not allowed to go waste.

Treated water from these plants located in urban areas is supplied through pipes to the farmers’ fields, he said. The water is also monitored through SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system), he remarked.

Meanwhile, experts who participated in the workshop, stressed upon the need to turn flood irrigation systems in Karnataka and the country into micro-irrigation systems such as the Ramthal project in the State. This would go a long way not only in conserving water, but also helping increase the area under irrigation, they opined.

‘Water credits’

K. Yella Reddy, Dean, Agriculture Engineering and Technology, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University of Andhra Pradesh, stressed on the need to encourage people to save ‘water credits’ along the lines of carbon credits to focus on water conservation.

He also endorsed the views of experts who have been calling for preparing water footprints, like carbon footprints. “It takes nearly 140 litres of water to get a cup of coffee if you take into account various processes right from cultivation of coffee,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, inaugurating the workshop, Karnataka Agriculture Minister N.H. Shivashakar Reddy stressed upon the need for legislation to curb wastage of water. He observed that Karnataka was facing extreme water scarcity in some areas while simultaneously enjoying abundant water in other areas.