The waters of Lake Huleh once again flowed through the regular channel of the Jordan River today after extensive widening and dredging of the channel were completed to increase the flow of the river. A temporary dam which forced the river into a side channel for the past two years, was dynamited by Israeli engineers.
Beside much effort and considerable expense, the dredging operations cost the Israelis a number of casualties. Both Syrian and Jordan troops tried, at one time or another, to halt the work by shooting at the workers. Some two years age Israeli forces at Tel Mutila fought a pitched battle with Syrian forces for several days before the latter gave up an invasion effort aimed at halting the channel reconstruction.
The Israel Ministry of Agriculture has assembled over 100,000 feet of pipe for the construction of a temporary irrigation system designed to save a small portion of the Negev crop from destruction by hot; dry weather. It is estimated that the temporary system will be able to save about 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of fodder.
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