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Why were artificial canals built to supply the evaporation pools in the southern Dead Sea basin?

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White salt deposits cover rocks along the shore of the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel, with green water and dramatic cloudy sky in the background. — Dead Sea Salt deposits at the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel.

Artificial canals were constructed to supply the evaporation pools in the southern Dead Sea basin to facilitate the extraction of valuable minerals.1

These pools are used for the industrial production of substances such as potash, magnesium, calcium chloride, and bromine. By pumping water into these large, shallow pans, the minerals are concentrated through the process of solar evaporation. The resulting residue, primarily carnallite, is then refined at industrial sites like Sedom to create commercial products, including potash fertilizer.12