What's Your Number? Winning the Water Game in the Middle East - with Seth Siegel
Dec 3, 2025
Seth Siegel, a renowned water-policy expert and author of 'Let There Be Water,' dives into the critical water issues affecting the Middle East. He explains Iran's water crisis, linking it to agricultural mismanagement and political choices. Seth highlights how past cooperation with Israel could have improved water systems. He also shares Israel's multifaceted approach to water management, including desalination. Innovations like drones and solar-covered canals are discussed as future solutions, emphasizing collaboration as key to overcoming challenges.
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Iran's Water Collapse Was Self-Inflicted
- Iran's water crisis is the result of slow, compounding policy failures rather than a single cause.
- Overuse, subsidies, corruption, and weak enforcement drained aquifers and worsened drought impacts.
Pre-Revolution Israeli Water Aid To Iran
- Before 1979 Israel sent dozens of water engineers to help modernize Iran's irrigation and utilities.
- After the revolution those experts fled and some were punished, leaving Iran without that capacity.
All-Of-The-Above Made Israel Resilient
- Israel pursued an 'all-of-the-above' water strategy combining pricing, desalination, reuse, and redundancy.
- That mix and political priority made Israel resilient to drought and demand shocks.
