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Institute for Water Sciences and Technologies
In response to increasing water related problems in Israel and the Middle East, and in lieu of the vital necessity of addressing water issues in the region on a political level, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has created the new multi-disciplinary Institute for Water Sciences and Technologies (IWST). The IWST will promote multi-disciplinary hydrological research aimed at the development of water resources that are presently of marginal quality, which characterize most of the water reservoirs in arid basins. This includes the assessment of water capacity and various methods of water treatment. The Institute will also lay the foundation for the first comprehensive educational program in Water Sciences and Water Engineering to meet the increasing need for hydrologists, water engineers and water planners in Israel. The core of the IWST is broad-based water research that, in addition to better management of existing water resources and development of new water resources, includes initiatives for improving water use efficiency, understanding the effect of water quality on dry land soils; sustainable watershed management; enhancement of water quality for aquaculture and agriculture; design of drainage systems for regional planning; and compensation for decreased groundwater recharge due to urbanization.
The mission of the IWST is to generate, develop and disseminate knowledge, techniques and technologies for providing water in quantities and qualities that satisfy the needs and aspirations of the people of the world?s dry lands, and particularly Israel and its neighbors, for themselves and for their future generations.
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