fresh water might become a reality for Israelites with the recent discovery of three salty springs beneath the Sea of Galilee. The sea mainly receives its water from the river Jordan which carries very little salt, but water coming out from springs makes the sea water saline. By sealing these springs scientists hope to reduce the sea's salinity and provide freshwater.

Scientists from the University of Leeds, uk, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, are now working out which springs to cap. Israel's water commission has set a target of scaling down the salinity below 150 mg per litre. Thirty per cent of Israel's water requirements are fulfilled by supplies from the Sea of Galilee which are diluted with freshwater. The water is also used for irrigation purposes in the Negev desert, where salt seeps into the soil. Israel spends millions of dollars every year to flush away this salty crust with millions of litres of precious clean water.