THE DEAD SEA CONDUNDRUM : RED SEA PLAN COULD CAUSE LARGER ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER THAN THE DEMISE OF DEAD SEA

 

The Dead Sea has been all but been drained by constant use in neighboring regions, including Israel. Global warming may in fact, cause the very quick demise of what is left of the shrinking body of water.  Evaporation could finish what man has begun.  

From a satellite, the incredible shrinkage is painfully visible. That is what has prompted Israel and Jordan to study the possible salvation of the Dead Sea. A plan has been devised that could re-route some of the water from the nearby Red Sea and provide some relief to the drought riddled nations that live near the Dead Sea. 

However, many are already opposed to the plan, saying it could cause a greater environmental catastrophe than the loss of the Dead Sea. 

Jordanian authorities however, have already decided to give it a go, and have set aside almost a billion dollar for the project, which will commence soon.  They cite years of careful scientific observation and research to bolster the soundness of the project, and therefore decline the need to consider criticism and naysayers. 

Water from the Gulf would be taken inland at Aqaba to a desalination plant, and then transported to the Dead Sea.  

If no initiative is taken, the Dead Sea would disappear forever by the year 2050, if not sooner. 

Three countries make use of the Dead Sea: Israel, Jordan and Syria.  In addition to using its water, these countries have also built evaporation ponds for salts extraction that menace the Sea just as much as its water diversion. 

The lake has been overused so badly that its level has dropped 27 meters (almost 90 feet) since 1977.

But the influx of water from the Red Sea, critics contend, could significantly compromise the fragile ecosystems that struggle to linger in the Dead Sea.  A second concern could be the leakage of the transported water along the pipeline to underwater acquifers. 

One of the reasons Jordan is forging ahead with the plan, is the enourmous influx of refugees from Syria.  The half million, soon to be a million, refugees who live in camps across the border from their native land, are a considerable burden for a land that has scant water resources. 

Source : France 24 /  8.26.13