After years marked by war and ongoing security challenges, parts of the Negev Desert have turned green, with flowing water and vegetation renewing across the landscape.
Heavy rains from the most recent weather system led to the filling of runoff basins in several areas of the northern and western Negev, bringing about noticeable changes to the local scenery.
In recent days, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) photographers Shlomi Amsalem and Ofer Ivri documented Adorayim Dam, the Yad Natan Quarry, the Pura Nature Reserve Dam, Nahal Karkur and an estuary (liman in Hebrew) in Meitar Forest, where significant amounts of water accumulated relative to a region characterized by an arid climate.
Limans are small, human-made water basins, created by deliberately blocking surface runoff in order to collect rainwater for short periods of time. This storage helps reduce soil erosion, slows strong runoff flows and improves local moisture conditions, while also contributing to the regeneration of native vegetation and the formation of temporary habitats for wildlife.
Yaniv Maimon, director of the Southern Region at KKL-JNF, said that “after every weather system, you can see how the landscape changes almost overnight. Water collects in the limans, the colors of the scenery shift, and focal points emerge that illustrate nature’s ability to renew itself, even in an arid region like the Negev.”
