ABSTRACT
The pool and the tunnel excavated during the reign of Hezekiah provided water for drinking purposes and not for irrigation. The new settlers introduced artesian wells, pumps, motors, filters, pipes and faucets, after they had suffered for years from transporting water in casks, buckets and petrol cans to their homes, from the communal well. Water shortage prompted a more energetic approach to the problem. By the early forties the view that water was available was already subscribed to by recognized experts, and various estimates of water resources were published. The magnitude and gravity of the dual problem prompted the establishment of a water company whose operations extend over all Israel and which gained the central position in planning of the exploitation of water resources. A network of regional, local and village waterworks covers the entire area at present being irrigated but a national water project will eventually control half of the irrigated area.
