British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 397

CHAPTER X.

FORMATION OF AN IRRIGATION DEPARTMENT.

32. In pursuance of the recommendations of the Committee on Development and Welfare Services in 1940, an Irrigation, Draining and Water Resources Service under a Water Commissioner was instituted and began to function actively in 1942.

LEGISLATION.

33. The necessary legislation to enable the Water Commissioner to ascertain, develop and control the exploitation of the water resources, surface and underground, of the country, together with drainage, was drafted and published as a bill for enactment. The larger part of the lands irrigated from surface sources is in the hands of the Arabs. They showed no opposition to the legislation. The Jews put forward various criticisms and objections which were nearly all met by appropriate amendments in the draft law; nevertheless there remained reasons which caused them to maintain opposition to the legislation. The legislation has not yet been promulgated.

PROGRESS SINCE THE ROYAL COMMISSION.

34. Partly because of the Jack of the necessary legislation, and partly because of the effects of the war, progress in the matter of irrigation has been limited. During the years 1942 to 1945 the Water Commissioner's staff was engaged upon the exploration, survey and investigation of a large number of schemes for the increase of food production, particularly the examination of irrigation schemes involved in applications for Government Loans from private landowners and Jewish settlements. In addition, a vast number of applications for the import or release of controlled materials for irrigation or for permission to divert labour for the sinking of boreholes bad to be investigated. War-time necessity, during the two years under review, and the desire to increase the production of agricultural foodstuffs engendered attempts to hustle through the execution of irrigation projects. The experience gained served most strongly to emphasise the dangers of pressing forward with construction before reliable records of discharge of springs, rivers, run-off and of safe yields for underground has ins bave been ascertained. Above all it was demonstrated that no irrigation scheme in which the distribution cannot be controlled can be successful.

EXTENSION AND INCREASE OF INVESTIGATION INTO STORM-WATER

RUN-OFF AND DISCHARGE OF SURFACE WATER.

35. For the purpose of examining the future possibilities of irrigation from surf we water, and as part of the necessary inves-

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