The Dead Sea is a sea whose history takes us back to the earliest
days of recorded time. Here, at Qumran, scribes of a Semitic sect
wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. They had left the increasing paganism
of Jerusalem for the purity of the desert, where they led lives of
prayer, work and communal living, searching for the meaning of life
while awaiting the Day of Light. And here, a people chose death
rather than loss of freedom as they defied the Roman Empire at
Massada.
The Dead Sea, which has witnessed many ancient legends and seen the
passing of many legendary figures, is now witnessing its own end.
The lowest place on Earth has reached its lowest point.
Some Facts
The Dead Sea is the saltiest, densest non-shallow body of water on
the planet; its ionic composition is unlike any other saltwater
body anywhere. The sea's unique environment is highly sensitive to
change, whether natural or manmade. And since the middle of the
present century, it has been shrinking steadily, due mainly to
human interference in its water balance.
The water level of the Dead Sea currently stands at 411 meters
below sea level. The volume of about 140 billion cubic meters of
water contains 50 billion tons of various dissolved solids. The
sea, approximately 50 kms in length and with a maximal width of 17
kms, is actually a terminal lake whose main supply of water is the
River Jordan.
In 1944, 972 million cubic meters of water flowed from the Jordan
into the Sea; by 1984, this figure had dropped to a mere 180
million cubic meters. In 1900, the bordering wadis yielded an
estimated 1.2 billion cubic meters of inflow; by 1940, this amount
had dropped to approximately 900 million cubic meters; by 1960, it
had dwindled to 810 million cubic meters and by 1985, to only a
relative trickle of 125 million cubic meters.
In the 1980s, the average rate of decline was 65 mm/p.a. Now, the
Dead Sea level is dropping at the rate of 80 mm a year, reflecting
an acceleration of some 25 percent in the past few years. Thus, new
buildings which once stood at the edge of the sea have already
receded away from it.
Springs are quite common on the eastern slopes, which receive more
rainfall than do the western ones. On the western shores, there is
a cluster of springs in the north, but none in the south; brooks
flow only in the two oasis valleys of Ein Gedi. The water inflows
of the western side have been steadily dropping due to accelerated
development and human interference in the water balance.
Three nations share the Dead Sea ecosystem: Palestinians,
Jordanians and Israelis. In an effort to raise the standard of
living in the area, the Dead Sea, today, is earmarked for rapid
development.
Proposals exist for the building of some 50,000 new hotel rooms all
around the shore, for tourists who come primarily to enjoy the
uniquely therapeutic benefits of the mineral-rich water and the
surrounding atmosphere, with its desolate, desert solitude.
Unfortunately, some 18 new water-diversion projects threaten to
reduce the amount of fresh water flowing into the Dead Sea to a
literal trickle. Also, other development plans, such as an
international highway planned along the western shore, threaten to
destroy forever the solitude and barrenness for which the region is
famous.
Additionally, the potash industry in the southern part of the basin
continues to expand, causing an increase in water evaporation and
in air pollution. Israel has been cited by world bodies as being a
significant contributor to the hole in the ozone layer because of
its production of methyl bromide.
A Holistic Approach
Clearly, severe conflicts of interest, on both the national and
international levels, exist between industry, tourism, agriculture
and long-haul transport in the development plans currently proposed
for the Dead Sea.1 To date, no master plan has been devised to
coordinate among these plans, and if development around the Dead
Sea continues to proceed in this ad hoc manner, it will fail to
satisfy the interests of any of the stake-holders. Political
issues, too, are currently impacting negatively on possibilities
for sustainable development.
The aim of EcoPeace is to produce a holistic approach to the
development of the Dead Sea, taking into consideration
environmental factors, such as the carrying out of a detailed
environmental and economic study to assess prioritization, and to
ensure coordination and cooperation among the various planners. If
one party, for example, were to decide to promote tourism while the
other decided to extract water for agriculture, the two parties
would soon defeat each other's purpose.
EcoPeace also seeks to establish an International Joint Commission
for the Dead Sea, to oversee and implement an integrated
development program for the area. Similar commissions which exist
for other shared ecosystems around the world may be used as a
model. The commission will act as a bridge to bring together the
diverse interests of the Dead Sea as a whole, and be a means to
advise and assist governments in protecting the Dead Sea region. To
this end, meetings have been held with Jordanian, Israeli and
Palestinian experts, who have described the current environmental
conditions of the region, the environmental impacts of proposed
development, and suggested ways to minimize the impact of industry,
energy, water, transportation or tourism on the ecosystem. The
findings of the meetings have revealed a severe lack of integrated
strategic planning: all parties have sought to maximize their
individual gains in each sector, while ignoring the development
plans of their riparian partners.
EcoPeace is currently implementing the first stage of developing a
regional plan for environmental protection and sustainable
development of the Dead Sea Basin. The concerned ministries,
parliamentarians, municipal heads and private sector stake-holders
discussed priorities for the Dead Sea management and future joint
strategies at a workshop that took place at the end of May 1998 in
Amman, Jordan.
The Need for Immediate Action
By the time the outcome of the Amman workshop is synthesized into
studies and surveys in the fields of archaeology and biodiversity,
the second phase of the project is expected to commence. A Dead Sea
Advisory Council will be created, with the task of integrating the
development plans and strategies with the sustainable development
of the Dead Sea region, placing special emphasis on environmental
protection and ecosystem conservation. The plan will be designed to
serve as a basis for the sustainable development of the shared
ecosystems of the Dead Sea and its environs. It will, therefore,
become a model for regional cooperation and, by the very nature of
its work, a model for sustainable peace.
Concurrently, EcoPeace is actively involved in researching the
concept of the creation of a free-tourism area (FTA) in the
northern part of the Dead Sea. The creation of a regional tourism
center for the sustainable development of tourism in the Dead Sea
region, based on the participation of the three peoples involved
(Jordanians, Israelis, Palestinians), would contribute to the
protection of the environment. Again, it is anticipated that the
creation of an FTA would be a model for the promotion of peace in
the region - in this case through tourism.
But if tourism or any other activity in the area is to have a
future, immediate action to protect the Dead Sea is needed. The
Dead Sea must be listed with UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and/or
a Man and Biosphere Reserve as a matter of international
urgency.
Because the Dead Sea is already
dying.
1 See EcoPeace Inventory of New Development Projects,
1997.
