Slow disappearance of Dead Sea raises alarm

If you have not seen the Dead Sea yet, it is high time you do so now as the renowned water body, which is, in fact, a salty lake, has been slowly shrinking.
According to EcoPeace Middle East, an environmentalist group, the Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, is declining at a rate of 3.3 ft every year. The reason behind this unfortunate phenomenon is, however, not natural; reckless deeds carried out by the people from various walks of life are to be blamed.

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As revealed, the Dead Sea, in order to replenish itself, requires water from other natural sources like the Jordan River basin. However, in 1960s, a few water sources on which the Dead Sea depended on were averted to serve the growing needs of Israel.
Another cause behind the sad plight of the Dead Sea is the unchecked consumption by the mineral extraction industries for manufacturing cosmetics and more consumer items.


The third factor is the hot and arid climactic conditions of the Middle East, which does not allow the sea to refill itself.

Popular for its salty waters, the water of the Dead Sea has been turning saltier. Not long ago, when a group of marathon swimmers from different corners of the world, swam across the sea to spread awareness about the condition of the sea, one of them called the water “toxic” and acid-like.

Despite all this, there’s a ray of hope. In 2015, Israel and Jordan had signed a deal to build a canal to connect the Red Sea to the Dead Sea in order to supply water to northern Jordan and southern Israel and also to stabilize the descending water levels of the Dead Sea. However, it is hard to say as of now by when the project will be duly completed.