British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 412

CHAPTER X.

It will be recollected that there is a concession*, which still has a term of half a century to run, granting the use of the waters of the Jordan and Yarmuk to the Palestine Electric Corporation for the purpose of generating electricity. The elimination of this concession, the substitution therefor of a scheme has ed upon the introduction of Mediterranean sea-water into the Dead Sea, and the diversion of the Jordan headwaters to irrigate the Huleh. Esdraelon and Beisan valleys were suggested by Dr. W. C. Lowdermilk in his book "Land of Promise". The cost of eliminating the existing concession would have to be regarded as a very serious addition to the general cost of a new scheme.

75. In the autumn of 1944 the irrigation engineers of the Jewish Agency introduced to the Palestine Government irrigation authorities Mr. J. B. Hays, who was described as having come to the country at the invitation of the Jewish Agency to study the water resources of the country. Later, Mr. J. L. Savage arrived and spent twelve days in the country. Mr. Hays spent the winter in Palestine. Neither of these eminent technicians showed the Government authorities what data they were collecting or being supplied with, so that the reliability of the figures or information might be checked; nor did they discuss with the official experts of the Government the technical, economic, administrative or social aspects of the projects they proposed. The Palestine Government a few months ago become aware-through the kind offices of the Government of the United States of the general outline of the project as it appeared in Mr. Savage's tentative conclusions. A preliminary draft of Mr. Hays' report has been submitted to the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry; a copy of this has been received by the Palestine Government and is now being examined.

76. The main features of the scheme elaborated by the "Engineering Consulting Board of the Commission on Palestine Surveys" can be briefly mentioned. The underground and spring water of the plains is to be developed by groups of electric pumping units some using power generated from a dam on the Hasbani in the Lebanon. The headwaters of the Jordan, Hasbani and Baniyasi rivers would be diverted into a high level channel built high up on the side of the mountains west of the Huleh which would continue on through Mount Carmel and down the western foothills to the southernmost parts of Palestine. The Huleh lands would be irrigated from the other swings on the east and west. The Jordan being thus emptied, the electric concessions dependiug on its waters and those of the Yarmuk would be replaced by installations deriving power from the fall to the Jordan valley of a channel of salt water from the Mediterranean. Half of the Yarmuk
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* Made in 1926 and having a term of 70 years. Drayton Vol. I, pages 634-646

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