Israeli wells further inland are less prone to seawater intrusion, with a net outflow of 20-23 MCM/yr45 of groundwater from the Coastal Aquifer Basin to the sea occurring in the Israeli part of the basin. In the Sinai Peninsula, groundwater levels have also dropped below sea level in the vicinity of major population centres like Arish and Rafah. In Israel, lateral hydraulic connections to older saline groundwater exist in the hinterland. As the salt front has moved from inland areas towards the coast, salinity has increased considerably over the past 70 years (Figure 6).