The Red Dead Canal
The 'Red Dead' - the only alternative to Saving the Dead Sea??
The Dead Sea has been shrinking for the last 40 years, due to water diversion, mostly of the Jordan River, by all countries in the region. Over the last few years, the Dead Sea level has fallen by a meter a year. The decline in sea level has caused enormous damage around the Dead Sea. Friends of the Earth Middle East has been active for over a decade to try and Save the Dead Sea.
The solution to the declining sea level lies in bringing water to the Dead Sea - approximately 800 million cubic meters of water annually. This amount is needed in order to halt, as a first stage, the decline of the sea.
For the past few years, only one solution has been “on the table” for saving the Dead Sea, namely the project called the “Peace Conduit”. According to this plan, water will be brought in from the Gulf of Aqaba / Eilat, through the Arava Valley to the Dead Sea in a canal / pipe, via Jordan. Before the water reaches the Dead Sea, it will be desalinated in order to supply drinking water mostly for Jordan, but also for Israel and Palestine. The concentrated salt water (brine), the byproduct of the desalination process, will flow into the Dead Sea. In addition, exploitation of the gradient from the Red Sea (sea level) to the Dead Sea (at 417 m below sea level) will produce hydroelectric power.
This plan has many environmental impacts, on the Gulf of Aqaba / Eilat, along the Arava Valley and at the Dead Sea itself.
The World Bank is funding a technical, economical & environmental feasibility study for this project, however, other alternatives, such as releasing water from the Kinneret to the Lower Jordan River and into the Dead Sea, are not being studied. Friends of the Earth Middle East is demanding that in the context of this feasibility study, all other alternatives be studied on how to save the Dead Sea. In many other instances, it is known that problem prevention is better than problem solving. Studying alternatives and choosing the correct option could prevent problems, while lack of options could mean choosing the incorrect alternative which would then mean huge investments in solving those problems, as has happened in the past in the Dead Sea area.
As stated, there is no opposition to bringing water to the Dead Sea to rehabilitate this most unique natural wonder.
Our demand though is to study all the options before choosing the desired alternative. We are turning to the public at large to support our demand to the World Bank to study all the possible alternatives to Save the Dead Sea.
Please sign and send to amcphail@worldbank.org the form letter in English, or form letter in Hebrew, to express your concerns to the World Bank.
Contact details will not be distributed
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