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GV INTERIOR: wave energy research laboratory, with simulated ocean conditions.
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Professor Gedalliahu Shelef talks on water problems in Israel and Egypt. With overlay shots of technology involved in research and scientists working on project. (14 shots)
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GV: irrigation system.
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CU: professor Dov Nir talking on sewage and irrigation systems in Israel and overlay shots of experimental laboratories and irrigation projects (10 shots)
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SHELEF: "Both Egypt and Israel have one thing in common. One of the things we have in common is that both countries, both the areas, have depressions, through to which water from the Mediterranean can be flowed. In Israel we have the Dead Sea, in Egypt they have the Katara Depression. Now what's common is that we have to learn in an engineering, a scientific and, in fact, a sociological and economic sense, how we can exploit these things to the benefit of our inhabitants. However the solution we find in the case of Israel and Egypt can be applied jointly. Because it's the same, qualitatively, it's the same type of engineering problem that exists in both cases....getting the water to flow down-hill into the depression changing part of that energy into electrical power for example, and in fact utilizing the very same water in the de-salination process to provide water to the areas which are otherwise very arid. Almost immediately, or immediately, I would say we can begin to apply solar energy or wind power to common o everyday purposes, such as water for homes and industrial use. We can apply solar and wind energy in fact for the drying and processing of agricultural products. These are things that we already have the know-how for and can be applied immediately. And further neither of these types of projects require large-scale economic investment, which might be of value to both nations at this time."



NIR: "Israel and Egypt have a need for irrigation water and for the nutrients that are in the sewage to replace costly fertilizers, which, by the way, requires a lot of energy to produce. So Egypt has the need, as a matter of fact, it has started working on this system independently. We are a bit more advanced, and a good part of the scientific information had to be transmitted to Egypt via Germany, because Germany is also sponsoring our research and the Egyptian research. So at least we can assume that starting from next Tuesday the information could get directly to Egypt, instead of going first to Germany and then back to Egypt.




Initials RH/



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The newly-signed Middle-East peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has opened up possible areas of co-operation on problems shared by the two countries. One of these is a critical water shortage. Scientists from the Israel Institute of Technology have been examining proposed irrigation schemes which would apply in both Israel and Egypt.

SYNOPSIS: One of the Institute's leading water conservation technologists is Professor Gedaliahu Shelef...

Professor Dov Nir, who stresses the possible agricultural benefits.