§ Captain Marplesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many boreholes have now been completed in the Beersheba sub-district of Palestine; and in how many of them fresh water was found.
§ Mr. George HallA hydrographic survey of the area was put in hand in 1938 in order to ascertain whether sub-soil water was available. Unfortunately, this survey had to be abandoned before its completion owing to the disturbances. But the results so far as they went were extremely disappointing. Of eighteen wells sunk at sites which, as the result of prolonged geophysical and geological investigation, appeared to be exceptionally favourable, only two proved successful, and these two were situated in the coastal sand dune area, where success could reasonably be anticipated from the outset. Of the sixteen wells further in the interior, some of which were driven to a depth of a thousand feet, fourteen were complete failures, and the water in the other two was so saline that the possibility of making any use of it is doubtful.