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The most precious commodity in the world today is water. Life as we know it would not exist without it. Considering that less than 1 percent of the world's water supply is drinkable (potable), it's no wonder that water treatment companies may be thriving in a dismal world economy.

Water must be used carefully and not squandered. Nations and people have gone to war over water.

In the early 1990s, the Butcher of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, diverted the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in an act of war to destroy the indigenous people that lived and survived off the rivers. This area is also considered the cradle of our civilization. It was part of Mesopotamia and the biblical home of Abraham. Saddam created one of the worst cases of manmade environmental disaster ever. With the removal of Saddam, the river waters have been returned to their natural course and the region is slowly returning to what it had been for thousands of years.

Clean, unpolluted water is critical for human survival and the survival of all living species. That being the case, one has to wonder why United States government program mandates are responsible for some of the worst pollution in the country and in the Gulf of Mexico. No one is challenging them or taking them to task over it. The issue is corn ethanol production and the horrifying environmental disaster that continues.

Communities all over the world are struggling for survival. It has become obvious that man can no longer waste and squander "his" water supply. Our rivers and creeks can no longer be used as garbage dumps for wastewater or toxic chemicals. We can no longer use toxic wastewater for any agricultural purposes. Americans are also very skeptical of eating foods from some foreign countries that are less mindful of their environment than we are.

For countries such as Israel, water is a precious commodity. Presently Israel recycles between 70 and 75 percent of its water supply. The water is treated and used in numerous ways including for agriculture. Israeli recycling is more than double what any other country in the world does. Spain is the No. 2 recycler with only about 30 percent of its water recycled.

Presently, much of the Middle East is suffering a severe drought. Israel is suffering, but without her stringent water recycling programs, Israel would also have serious agricultural problems. Making the desert bloom still takes water.

Even with the world economy still struggling, Israeli water technology companies are thriving. By 2011, Israel expects to export $2.5 billion annually in water technology.

Clean-tech water companies have become Israel's fastest growing economic sector. For years, Israeli high-tech companies have led the way, now there is a change taking place. Oded Distell, director of Israel's national water technology program, told Reuters, "clean-tech has surpassed high-tech for the first time."

This year an Israeli water recycling company, Aqwise, has the distinction of being Israel's fastest growing technology company. In 2008, Aqwise saw its sales increase 50 percent. This capped five years of steady growth. Aqwise was founded in 2000. Aqwise has a wastewater recycling process that breed's bacteria that breaks down organic waste.

Aqwise has become a global venture having operations in Latin America as well as in Asia. Aqwise has some advantage in that its system can also be retrofitted in some cases making the operational installation much more cost effective.

Even with the global economic downturn, Israeli high-tech water companies faired better than most other sectors of the world economy. Now they appear to be going full blast. Israeli water technology companies are among the best and most respected in the world.

For Israel, clean-tech water technology is one more step in securing its future. Whether other nations perceive Israel as an enemy or a friend, they must realize that Israeli scientific advances have been well out of proportion to its size and population.

Over the next few years, Israeli scientific -- including medical -- advances, will rank among the best on the planet. One can only imagine the possibilities if Israel would not have to operate in a constant state of war.

I have no doubt that the people of Israel will share their knowledge and expertise with any neighbor extending an olive branch. One can only hope. Over the next few weeks, we will take a closer look at several more clean-tech companies.

Carl Resnick is a resident of Raritan and a local businessman.