Israel on Tuesday launched a first-of-its-kind project to flow desalinated water from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee in the northeast of the country.

With a cost of about 1 billion shekels ($284 million), it is one of the largest water projects in Israel, said a statement issued by the Israel Water Authority.

The project, initiated by the authority and Mekorot, the national water company, will help keep the water level of the Sea of Galilee, a natural water source and national emergency reservoir in dry years, it added.

Following droughts between 2013 and 2018, which caused the suspension of water pumping from the Sea of Galilee, the idea to flow desalinated seawater to the lake emerged.

The project will allow water supply throughout the year for the needs of the Israeli economy, including agriculture, alongside regular water supply to Jordan in accordance with the peace agreements between the two countries.

The current first phase of the project includes a section of about 30 km in the Central Galilee region.

In the second phase, pumping stations and ponds will be built near the central city of Rosh HaAyin, to allow the flow of excessive Mediterranean water from new desalination facilities, wells and other sources to the north.

(Cover: The Jordan River flowing into the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Tiberias, one of the main water sources, in Israel, July 11, 2021. /CFP)