Farmers, environmentalists warn of Dead Sea’s waning water level

Farmers on the south-eastern edge of the Dead Sea risk losing their agricultural land to stream erosion and sinkholes as a direct result of the ongoing decline in the sea level, officials and farmers said on Tuesday. “We’re very worried that we might lose our farms,” said 52-year-old farmer Ebrahim Kassab. “Every day, I see another part of my land disappear.” According to Kassab, dozens of local farmers were recently forced to evacuate their homes after the appearance of massive sinkholes – some of them up to 50 metres deep – on their property. “We’re living in constant fear,” he said. “We can’t even walk at night because of the sinkholes.” Geological experts say the continual decrease in the water level of the Dead Sea – the saltiest sea and the lowest point on earth – is the main reason for the frequent appearance of sinkholes. They believe that sinkholes are usually formed when influxes of fresh groundwater, triggered by a decrease in the sea level, gradually dissolve surface areas until they collapse. Government officials, meanwhile, say the only viable solution is to move farmers out of erosion-prone areas. “We can’t do anything to stop the erosion,” said Khalid Qoussous, assistant secretary-general of the Jordan Valley Authority. “The only measure we can take is to relocate the farmers.” Environmentalists, however, warn that drastic action is required to avert a potential ecological disaster in the area, which is also a highly popular tourist destination. According to Professor Najib Abou Karaki, head of the Environmental and Applied Geology Department at the University of Jordan, the diversion for agriculture and domestic purposes of the Jordan River – which runs into the Dead Sea – is largely to blame for the drop in the sea level. The Jordan River provides roughly three-quarters of all the water flowing into the sea, with the remainder descending from springs in the surrounding mountains. Abou Karaki further pointed out that the industrial use of the Dead Sea by Jordan and Israel, by which millions of cubic metres of water are allowed to evaporate in order to extract chemicals, also affects water levels. “There’s no way sinkholes will stop appearing unless humans stop meddling with the sea and the Jordan River is allowed to return to its usual flow,” he said. According to research by the University of Jordan, the Dead Sea’s water level is declining at a rate of approximately one metre per year. The government is currently considering a US $5 billion mega project linking the Dead Sea with the Red Sea by way of a 300km-long canal to provide the country with badly needed drinking water. MBH/AR/AM